Google Set to Revolutionise Sports Broadcasting

Google is all set to broadcast a major sports event live on YouTube for the very first time. Google and the Board of Control for Cricket in India have struck a two-year deal, giving Google exclusive online rights for live and on-demand access of matches from the lucrative Indian Premier League on YouTube . Both parties will be sharing revenues from sponsorships and advertising.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a Twenty20 Cricket competition organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India featuring the world’s top players in eight teams.

The tournament begins on March 12, will go on for 45 days and all 60 matches will be streamed live or with a short delay on the dedicated IPL YouTube channel for free . The channel will also carry player interviews, highlights from matches, pitch reports and a lot more.

The most exciting aspect of the deal is the amount of control it gives to the viewers. Viewers will be able to customise their screens by altering camera angles.

It doesn’t end there – Viewers will also be able to freeze, fast-forward and rewind the feed, as well as watch replays at any time of the day.

This deal is expected to give the Indian Premier League access to global markets, especially to those where it does not have arrangements for live telecast. This deal is the first of its kind, though in 2008 the International Olympic Committee had hosted highlights of the Beijing Games in countries that didn’t receive any telecast.

So what do we have here?

Sports’ broadcasting has always been highly competitive. Google, owners of YouTube and currently with a viewership of millions are going to be too hot to handle . The intent of broadcasting sports online is not new to us. In our recent Sports Advertisng article, we discussed England’s qualifier with Ukraine, which was solely broadcasted online.

For more information about the deal between IPL and Google, visit Cricinfo .

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