The companies have been in discussions about a partnership for weeks and have finally agreed a contract.
It is the first time that a broadcaster has made a comprehensive catch-up schedule available on YouTube. Channel four has its own free to access on-demand platform, but the deal with YouTube will allow it to extend its advertising inventory and reach.
Under the terms of the deal, Channel 4 will make its 4oD video-on-demand ‘catch-up' service of new programmes available via YouTube shortly after television transmission, including series such as Skins, Hollyoaks, The Inbetweeners and Peep Show.
YouTube users will also be able to access around 3,000 hours of full-length programming from the Channel 4 archive at any given time, including shows like Brass Eye, Derren Brown, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Teachers.
Content will begin appearing in the coming months and be fully available in early 2010. All programmes will be available only in the UK, free-of-charge supported by advertising.
YouTube last week announced it was serving more than one billion video streams every day
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