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MTV vs. YouTube, Round Two

Viacom, the parent company of MTV Networks, is upping the ante in its long-running battle with YouTube. After demanding that the web video upstart remove more than 100,000 unauthorized clips from its site earlier this month, Viacom has now announced that it will be making videos clips of its content available on all MTV-owned sites. And they'll be doing it YouTube-style, so bloggers and MySpacers will soon be able to embed videos from popular shows like Pimp My Ride, The Surreal Life, and Laguna Beach.

"We need to open up our websites and content both for consumers and for other companies," Mika Salmi, MTV Networks president of global digital media, told Reuters in explaining the move. The company has already been experimenting with giving away embedded video content on its Comedy Central website, where fans have been able to grab clips from The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and other programs since December.

MTV Networks clearly has a lot riding on their gambit to beat YouTube at its own game. Earlier this week, the company announced that it was laying off 250 employees, part of a restructuring effort to focus more on its online properties.