The third annual Indian Premier League cricket tournament has just ended, and all matches were available to watch, for free, on YouTube.
Flushed with that success, Google is now reportedly looking to do deals which will see other live sports shown on YouTube.
YouTube Diversifying
YouTube is now much more diverse in its video output than it was when Google took over. Sure, the vast majority of the one billion videos streamed every day are still user-generated content, but there are other options.
YouTube now carries TV programming, dedicated music video channels, and even movies, both free and to rent. And sport can also be added to the list, first with coverage of the Beijing 2008 Olympics and more recently all 60 matches from the IPL shown on the site.
Indian Premier League Cricket
The deal which saw matches from the 2010 Indian Premier League show up on YouTube was made in January prior to the 45-day long tournament begin.
The IPL matches were shown in every country served by YouTube with the exception of the United States. This was due to what was described as “re-broadcast options,” which I assume means the rights to show the matches online had already been sold elsewhere.
Live Sports On YouTube
Now, according to The New York Times, Google has the bit between its teeth and is actively looking to foster deals with other sports which will see them shown on YouTube. And it seems keen that these sports be broadcast live in future.
YouTube is relatively wet behind the ears when it comes to broadcasting live events. To date, the only major event it has broadcast in this way is a U2 concert in Pasadena which took place last October. 10 million people are estimated to have tuned in to that, and YouTube handled the traffic supremely well thanks to a little help by content delivery network Akamai.
The success of that event not only proves there’s a huge potential audience there but that YouTube could handle the traffic demands.
Conclusions
I’d love to see live sports come to YouTube in a big way. However, Google only paid a fraction of the money the TV companies paid for the IPL matches, and that could prevent organizers and governing bodies of some sports and tournaments jumping on board. At least if they’re as short-sighted as Hollywood has proved to be.
And anyone hoping a deal will be made to show World Cup 2010 matches on YouTube will likely be disappointed. Maybe for World Cup 2014 though.
