By: History.com Editors

2007

News Corp and NBC announce new internet venture

Published: November 13, 2009

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

In a long-anticipated challenge to sites like YouTube, two entertainment giants—News Corporation and NBC Universal—announce a high-stakes internet venture on March 22, 2007.

According to the terms of the deal, News Corporation, owned by the Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., would begin distributing their own programming on popular Web sites such as America Online (AOL), Yahoo, MySpace and MSN. News Corp. and NBC also planned to make video of TV shows and movies available on a separate web site. The site would be supported by advertisers and free to viewers, who could edit the available content and post their own, as well as buy downloads of movies made by 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios.

By allowing users to upload and view streaming video, YouTube—which was bought by Google Inc. in 2006 for $1.65 billion—entered into a tense relationship with media companies, who became angry when copyrighted material such as television shows, film clips and music videos turned up on the site without their permission. In the face of YouTube’s enormous success, TV networks were forced to adjust their traditional formula to embrace the rise of new-media technologies. In one particularly notable example in 2006, a YouTube user uploaded “Lazy Sunday,” a clip from NBC’s sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, that quickly became a sensation online. Initially angry at the copyright infringement, NBC soon realized the potential of the site to drum up awareness of their programming, and soon agreed to add more of its clips to the YouTube library.

The NBC-News Corp. deal in March 2007 represented a larger-scale attempt by the two media companies to exert greater control over the distribution of their video material online. The result of the deal was the online video site Hulu, launched to a selected group of users in the fall of 2007 and to the general public in the spring of 2008.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on March 22nd

About the author

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article title
News Corp and NBC announce new internet venture
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 23, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 30, 2025
Original Published Date
November 13, 2009

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.