YouTube could change the way we broadcast sport in Australia
Last week Mumbrella revealed that Google and the NRL had discussed the online behemoth potentially bidding on the code’s sports rights. In this cross post from The Conversation Marc C-Scott from Victoria University looks at what the implications of such a bid might be.
Australian rugby league games could be heading online following reports the National Rugby League (NRL) has been in discussions with Google as part of the sporting organisation’s latest media rights. The discussions are said to be associated with having NRL games broadcast via Google’s YouTube video website.
These are not the first discussions rumoured to have taken place between YouTube and an Australian sporting organisation. Last year it was said that the Australian Football League (AFL) was in discussions with YouTube, as part of its new media rights deal to start in 2017.
It should also be noted that YouTube has made a shift toward professional sports media over the past few years. In 2010 it secured the live-streaming rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket. Three years later, YouTube began to experiment with major American sports, including Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
YouTube’s partnership and live coverage with the World Surf League is excellent with post-heat interviews while the surfers are still in the water, waves breaking behind them. The Youtube Player is more dynamic, with English or Portuguese commentary, slow-mo and heat analysis marking where the waves are over the course of the 30min heat. There are few advertisers so ads repeat, they get their money’s worth… I’d assume. Most importantly it allowed me to stop buying Foxtel’s sports package where it’s was shown on ESPN/Fuel.
The best way to view footy on mobile at the moment is via Foxtel Go if you have a Foxtel subscription, hopefully any future rights deals don’t block that out!
@Swans Fan. YouTube on mobile is amazing. If YouTube were to pip Foxtel to sporting rights, one of the great things would be that you probably would not have to sign a contract to watch sport.
‘Off the shelf’ products is what people want. Google’s products will generally compliment that want.
Typo here –
International sport media rights
” Sports media rights are much SORT after. ”
Should be “sought” OK peeps…
Thanks Grammar guru,
Now corrected.
Cheers
Nic – Mumbrella
Oh my. My comment on your last streaming of sports coverage article seems to have gone unnoticed. The anti siphoning rules only apply to subscription television broadcast licensees. So not any kind of streaming player is affected. This is pretty basic and disappointing to see this error appear in two umbrella articles in a row.
*mumbrella*
Damn autocorrect
Colin, most of the points you listed (re: World Surf League) have nothing to do with YouTube (ie “post-heat interviews while the surfers are still in the water, waves breaking behind them”, and are attributable to the WSL’s in-house production team (which is excellent).
Additionally, the WSL moved away from their partnership with YouTube for live broadcast in January, and current stream events through NeuLion.