Companies within international production conglomerate Banijay Group in France and the U.S. have begun creating online programming for new premium branded channels as part of the YouTube Original Content Initiative.

Banijay Group company, Air Productions, in partnership with France Télévisions, has launched a new channel that is an extension of its popular LIVE music show Taratata, entitled Taratata On Air. The channel, fully edited and programmed by Air Productions, follows a weekly programming schedule including original musical content (such as backstage videos, cover versions of featured songs and quizzes). The channel will also tap into some of the 20 years of archive Taratata footage.

In the U.S., Banijay Group company Bunim/Murray Productions has partnered with Alchemy Networks to produce programming for an urban-themed premium YouTube channel launching in the fourth quarter of 2012. The deal will see Bunim/Murray provide new original programming five days per week.

Francois de Brugada, EVP Banijay Group said, “As the way in which viewers consume video moves on, we too are changing the way we produce and distribute our product. Being invited to produce content for this new YouTube initiative demonstrates the quality of the programming the Group is creating across the world.”

YouTube announced 100 original channels were coming to the video-sharing platform late last year. One year later it has followed up with the launch of new channels coming from France, Germany, the UK and the U.S. As of September 2012, 20 of the 100 original channels were attracting at least one million views a week.