You probably haven’t noticed it, but Disney is in the process of adding a bunch of their full-length shows to YouTube. Over the last week or so, dozens of episodes from Disney original series have popped up on their channel.
As of right now, kids (and adults, of course) can enjoy episodes of Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, The Proud Family, That’s So Raven, and more. The videos are full-length (20+ minutes long) and are fully embeddable.
The reason for the new crop of Disney content on YouTube comes from a deal that the two made back in November. The biggest part of that deal was the announcement that Disney was going to produce original content specifically for YouTube, which would then appear on the cobranded channel. For instance, the first new series is a show based on the “Where’s My Water” puzzle game. The agreement also has Disney selecting specific amateur content from around YouTube to display on the channel.
But that deal also said that Disney would bring some of its older content to the YouTube channel. Of course, Disney’s not going to be able to give up everything for free – cable providers wouldn’t be too fond of that idea. But in just under a week, Disney has added 67 episodes to their channel.
Back in the Fall of 2011, YouTube announced a push for quality TV. Their goal is to make YouTube a place of good content – a place that can rival cable perhaps. Part of this strategy involved new channels devoted to original content. In the last few months, YouTube has added new sports channels, new automotive channels, and new entertainment channels.
[H/T All Things D]