As rumored, YouTube is announcing a set of new media partnerships in an effort to bring more quality, professional content to the service. Rather than trying once again to get big name network and cable companies to buy in, YouTube is partnering with a wide swath of smaller media companies who promise to spotlight celebrities like Madonna, Tony Hawk, and Deepaak Chopra. Once the channels get going, it should amount to up to 25 hours a day of programming, which reportedly will need to stay exclusive to YouTube for 18 months.

In the blog post announcing the partnerships, YouTube's global head of content partnerships, Robert Kyncl, made sure to call out the benefits to advertisers as well as users,"these channels will represent a new way to engage and reach their global consumers." The Wall Street Journal reports that as much as 55 percent of the advertising revenue would go to the channel creators, but not until YouTube gets back the rumored $100 million Google has laid out in advances to the partners.

The new channels should begin showing up on YouTube next month, which is conveniently not too long after the Google TV update arrives, complete with its improved YouTube experience. You can find a full list of the channel partners at the source link below.

Disclosure: SB Nation, our parent company, is one of YouTube's content partners.