News: Could live NFL games be coming to YouTube?

[WoodysGirl]

A leading tech site reports that NFL executives met with Google’s CEO on Tuesday.

By Chris Strauss – August 21, 2013 at 12:20pm EDT

Via All Things D:

Google plus the NFL is an intriguing concept. Google could certainly afford the rights, which currently cost DirecTV $1 billion a year.

And while YouTube is the world’s most popular video service, Google has been playing around the edges of TV without making a substantial dent. An NFL deal could certainly change that.

Meanwhile, the NFL seems willing to consider an “over the top” provider for the service, which it views as ancillary to the core TV packages it has sold to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.

The league’s exclusive deal with DirecTV expires after next season and with the changing media landscape, pursuing multiple nonexclusive deals with both traditional and online content providers seems like a solution whose time has come.

Read the rest: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/08/nfl-sunday-ticket-youtube-google-rights/

 

[Idgit]

This would be huge.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I lol'd

 

[MonsterD]

Good for those with fiber optic, you pay a sub account, get the chromecast for 35 bucks and there it is. The rest would be kinda bilked though. One thing I have noticed now from watching quite a few live concerts(they are not really live-just FYI) there are times even with great IP that it churns and slows the data and I get the "potato-vision".

 

[BaybeeJay]

Depends on the cost structure, but this seems to be headed in the right direction for the consumer. When the alternative is illegal streams of substandard quality, this would be a panacea.

 

[Future]

The games are inevitably going to be broadcast online, might as well do it with the most powerful company on the internet.

YouTube broadcasts lacrosse games from time to time, and its good if you have a good computer, don't see why it couldnt work with the NFL.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Google is one of the only companies that could top the $1 billion per year that DTV is paying and has the distribution to make it worthwhile. Would love to see it happen, it would be about as serious a step as they could take in bringing YouTube into the live broadcast game.

Practically I doubt DTV lets Sunday Ticket leave them without a bidding war start, Google will likely have to chalk up at least $1.5B a year with quite a long term deal given the fact that this is risky since it is new territory. I don't see how Google could possibly make up this expense with added revenue as they are unlikely to charge $499 per year to stream it, I doubt advertisements make up this.. Maybe a per game charge of $29.99 or something along those lines but even then it probably wouldn't add up.. Maybe it's a loss leader for something...? Maybe they want to start live streaming Fox, NBC, USA, CBS, etc;.. It plans on rapidly expanding Google Fiber.. maybe it wants to cut out cable/satellite companies completely for distribution of television/phone/internet. Google is truly in the "empire game".

This may be a true cataclysmic event if Google pulls it off.