Internet Videos

YouTube will venture into Webcasting this month in an effort to take the site's popularity to a new level by showcasing the talent behind its most-viewed videos.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, has matured from a Web start-up to a site with loyal fans. But as any good television industry executive will say, it needs fresh content to keep its audience.

On Nov. 22 in San Francisco, it is introducing "YouTube Live," a show featuring well-known stars like the rapper Will.i.Am and the singer Katy Perry, as well as YouTube sensations like Esmee Denters.

ABC has a new Webcast deal, this time with Internet television service Veoh. Under the arrangement, full-length episodes of Desperate Housewives, Lost and Ugly Betty will be available on Veoh's Web site. The deal is only the second time ABC has licensed content to an independent vendor.

Other networks, notably NBC, have moved much more aggressively into the strange new land in which networks produce content for broadcast, then license other sites to replay it. NBC and Fox joined forces last year to create Hulu.com, a portal for the networks' content.