Channel 4 is to become the first television channel in the world to put full-length programming on YouTube for viewers to watch free of charge.

The two companies announced yesterday that 3,000 hours of programmes on 4oD, the video-on-demand service, including Skins and Hollyoaks, will be uploaded on to the video-sharing website, in a deal that will also allow Channel 4 to sell advertising around its content.

Neither company would release the financial terms of the deal, which will run for at least three years, but it is expected Channel 4 will take about 70 per cent of revenue from the ads and will also be able to sell slots around other YouTube videos. It will have its own branded section on the site.

The broadcaster, which does not make its own programmes, will upload shows after they have aired, as well as classic series from its archives, such as Brass Eye. It is not authorised to share US imports such as Desperate Housewives.

Content will begin appearing in the coming months and will be fully available in early 2010. The deal is non-exclusive and allows Channel 4 to continue its negotiations with other websites, such as Hulu and MSN Video. Nikesh Arora, president of business development for Google, YouTube’s owner, said: “This significant new agreement brings Channel 4’s great full-length content to the YouTube community, helping Channel 4 ... to grow their online revenues and to continue to invest in the creation of high-quality original content.”

Andy Duncan, the television company’s chief executive, said: “Channel 4 was the first broadcaster anywhere to make all its commissioned content available online and we have consistently pioneered in this field.”

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