MGM, the financially troubled movie studio of 84 years, has announced that YouTube will be carrying a small selection of its offerings as of today.

The partnership will begin with the availability of old American Gladiators episodes, in addition to films like “Bulletproof Monk” and “The Magnificent Seven.” The titles are free for viewing but will be accompanied by advertisements.

This partnership is essential for Google which has had an unexpectedly difficult time monetizing the extremely popular service. While advertisements work well on traditional television, it has been hard to sell products when users are ghost ridin’ the whip and trawling for smut.

YouTube is positioning this deal to encroach on territory dominated by Hulu, which now commands partnerships with several major studios that has resulted in an extensive full-length library.

Though the YouTube/MGM team is set to expand with additional titles, MGM co-President Jim Packer does not envision a large catalog available on YouTube. Ironically, Packer envisions a more extensive offering on Hulu which provides a more robust platform with video of considerably higher definition.