NEW YORK —  Current TV, the cable network founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, has expanded its distribution agreement with Comcast Corp. to reach 8 million homes by June 1, the companies said Monday.

The youth-oriented cable network, which features short, fast-paced programs called pods produced professionally and by viewers, will be distributed on nearly all of Comcast's digital cable service. It was previously available to about 500,000 Comcast customers.

The expanded agreement boosts Current TV's overall distribution to 28 million homes in the United States from 20 million, the companies said in a joint statement.

Current TV's debut last August came more than a year after Gore led an investor group in buying the cable channel Newsworld International for an undisclosed sum from Vivendi Universal (V).

The network covers subjects such as music, fashion, travel, entertainment, relationships and politics, targeting tech-savvy viewers from 18 to 34 years old by enlisting them to submit their own programming.

Some analysts had hailed Current as a potential turning point in the evolution of TV, especially for its focus in getting individuals to create content for a mass audience.