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"On December 17th 2005, the SNL skit \"Lazy Sunday\" aired on NBC.  The clip became a hit on YouTube, giving a massive boost to NBC's Saturday Night Live and cast members Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg.  NBC, you might remember, didn't get the joke: they set the lawyers on YouTube and demanded that they take down every instance of the video.  It was an unwise move that was widely criticized in the blogosphere - NBC were essentially killing off some of the best free promotion they'd enjoyed in years.\nA year later, things are different: NBC and YouTube announced an agreement back in June, and a few days ago NBC posted another SNL short to YouTube.  \"D*ck in Box\" (embedded below) stars Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake - it's been a massive hit with YouTube users and bloggers.  Not only have the SNL clips dominated YouTube's Most Viewed and Top Rated clips this week, but they've also been the most linked-to videos on Technorati.  It helps, of course, that the clip is extremely funny.  Even more surprising: NBC posted the uncensored version to YouTube, while airing a bleeped-out version on TV.  So far, the official version has received more than 1.2 million views.\nThis is a trick that some commentators didn't expect YouTube to pull off: convincing media companies to partner with them, rather than sue.  It's amazing, in fact, how far the video sharing startup has come over the past year.\nUpdate: In related news, NBC have just announced that they're taking SNL clips mobile on Cingular handsets.  Both current and classic clips will be available, with new material being released on Cingular one day after airing on TV.  Incidentally, Cingular also landed the deal for MySpace Mobile, while YouTube Mobile is on Verizon. \n\nWarning: This is the uncensored version, and might not be appropriate for viewing at work."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2006/12/19/youtube-gives-nbc-a-hit-in-a-box/>