14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube is the clear leader in online video worldwide, but Google is working hard to expand the catalog, already the biggest in the world in some respects, especially with professional content in order to boost ad sales. One interesting opportunity, according to new reports, is live sports streams which could be a huge market if YouTube can secure a wide enough content range. For now, it looks like the video site is set to announce a deal with the Indian Cricket Premier League (IPL) to stream the competition on the site, something that could prove a very lucrative move.
The Indian media and some hints from Google as well as IPL officials are pointing at a deal possibly coming as soon as today. There have been no official confirmations and Google, as usual, doesn't speculate on rumors but, IPL chair Lalit Kumar Modi tweeted “wait and watch for breaking news soon,” as PaidContent points out. Google execs have also expressed their interest in live sports as a potential new market for YouTube.
IPL clips have also been available on the site and there is a newly created IPL channel which currently doesn't have any videos but looks like the real-deal. Some links don't work yet on the channel, indicating that it's a work in progress but also suggesting that an announcement should be coming soon. The IPL competition is big business and matches are broadcasted on TV in a big number of countries. It's unclear in what countries the matches will be available on YouTube, there may be restrictions due to existing licensing rights.
It's also unclear on what terms the video site will stream the matches, either ad-supported, a pay-per-view model or even a subscription model, both of which have been proposed as alternatives on YouTube. The site is no stranger to live streams or sports content for that matter, though, so far, the two haven't come together. A U2 concert was streamed for free on YouTube a few months back, bringing in about 10 million viewers worldwide.