(Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

BY CHRISTINA HONAN

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Mad at the little ones for logging onto YouTube? Not so fast, parents. Media giant Disney is joining forces with YouTube in the name of family friendly entertainment. Engadget explains...

“[Disney and YouTube] have struck a deal that will bring original, kid-friendly content to a new co-branded online channel ... The two parties will devote a combined $10 million to $15 million to video production, in the hopes of helping each other patch up some of their respective holes.”

The New York Times elaborates, saying the alliance is striking because it acknowledges each company’s weaknesses:

“Disney, currently working on yet another overhaul of its Web site, is conceding that its own brand is not a powerful enough draw among children looking for video online; YouTube is viewed as being cooler. YouTube hopes to gain something from the Disney brand as well, namely credibility among parents, many of whom aren’t thrilled at setting their younger children loose on a site where the videos can be ragged and provocative and the comments even more so.”

But is ‘cool’ really reason enough to choose YouTube? The mega-merger had many asking why not Hulu? After all, Disney is a part-owner. The Hollywood Reporter weighs in.

“Where Hulu and YouTube differ, however, is that Hulu was created for TV content while YouTube is original for the web ... The alliance is also noteworthy, as YouTube remains legally embattled with Viacom (who owns Disney rival Nickelodeon), keeping the majority of its videos off the site.”

According to the New York Times, Disney Interactive is losing both revenue and its online audience. This prompted Co-President Jimmy Pitaro to sign on and plan a complete web overhaul for Disney.com. He explains to USA Today why partnering with YouTube is an important first step.

“With online video consumption exploding and YouTube at the center of that trend, we see an opportunity for Disney Interactive and YouTube to bring Disney's legacy of storytelling to a new generation of families and Disney enthusiasts on the platforms they prefer.”
The announcement follows a string of other partnership deals made by YouTube to create new TV-like channels featuring entertainers and news outlets. Wall Street Journal explains YouTube’s trend.

“Last week Google said it had reached deals with a wide range of personalities and companies, from rapper Jay-Z to The Wall Street Journal, to create around 100 new ‘channels’ on the video-sharing site, which is hoping original, high-quality programming will attract viewers.”

According to MediaBistro, Disney’s first show for YouTube, called “Where’s My Water?” will be about an alligator named Swampy. All original kid-friendly content will be made available on both YouTube and Disney.com and is expected to launch in early 2012.