Google & NFL Strike Deal To Bring NFL Content To YouTube

Just in time for the Super Bowl this weekend, the National Football League has decided to play nice and share with others, announcing a partnership with Google this week that will bring game highlights to a YouTube channel and search results.

In the past, the NFL kept its video content clutched tightly to its chest, making this somewhat of a sea change.

According to the Associated Press, the partnership will involve an official NFL channel on YouTube, with daily content from the league including news, analysis, game highlights, recaps and other clips.

And when Google users search for content, game highlights and other NFL videos, along with news and other content, will appear at the top of the results page.

It’s not the first time Google has hopped into bed with a sports organization, as it’s forged partnerships in the past with the MLB, NBA and NHL. In contrast to those other deals, until now the NFL had still been working hard to keep unlicensed videos from popping up on YouTube.

“We continue to see an insatiable appetite for digital video content, and this partnership further expands fans’ ability to discover and access NFL content throughout the year,” Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s senior vice president of media strategy, business development and sales, said in a statement.

So does this mean the NFL is creeping closer to live streaming games on YouTube? Don’t hold your breath, said an NFL spokesman, saying the league’s focus is on non-live highlights.”

He added that “the agreement will provide tremendous exposure for our broadcast partners.”

But YouTube is ready to go in that direction if the NFL is eventually willing, citing past live streaming of Olympic events as a precedent.

“We would welcome it with open arms if the NFL or any other league” wanted to show live games on the site, a YouTube spokesman said.

The financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but we’re just gonna guess it involved bags of money marked with a dollar sign.

NFL, YouTube partner to post official clips to video site [Associated Press]

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