YouTube, Disney join in Web video partnership

Google Inc.'s YouTube and Disney Interactive said Monday that they are collaborating to provide Web video entertainment tailored to Disney audiences in a new partnership beginning early next year.

The companies said they will provide co-branded "video destinations," that is, specific places on Disney.com and on YouTube.com that show family-friendly programming from Disney and YouTube.

Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal comes as the Internet and mobile devices are competing with television for viewers. YouTube, with 800 million users worldwide, is central to this trend.

A video series based on Disney's mobile game "Where's My Water?" and its main character Swampy will be the first project to launch in February, the companies said.

"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," said Jimmy Pitaro, co-president of Disney Interactive, in a statement.

Disney Interactive is part of The Walt Disney Co.