The Guardian has signed a deal with AOL On, the YouTube-style portal for premium partners, to globally distribute original video content.

Under the agreement the Guardian will provide videos, including documentaries, to AOL On’s network of publisher partners which combined draw more than 1bn views a month.

AOL On has channels spanning news and entertainment to health and channel and claims 1bn video views a month of content from partners including Channel 4 News, ITN, and the Telegraph.

Content from partners such as the Guardian will be distributed across AOL On’s international network which includes its own sites, such as Huffington Post and TechCrunch, as well as third parties including Daily Mirror publisher Trinity Mirror, TalkTalk and Videojug.

“AOL is committed to producing premium content that captures the imagination of consumers,” said Graham Moysey, head of international at AOL. “Curation and distribution go hand in hand with great content and we are delighted the Guardian has chosen AOL On as a partner to drive even greater audiences to their content.”

The flip side of the deal for content partners such as the Guardian is that they also have the option to access AOL On’s pool of videos, of which there are more than 1m, to use on their own websites globally.

AOL has also invested heavily in original programming with more than 50 series commissioned to date – with shows from high-profile stars including James Franco, Boardwalk Empire’s Steve Buscemi and Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker – which also appear within AOL On.

There have also been two UK series commissioned, one starring Richard Bacon and the other Tess Daly and The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes.