Google has expressed appreciation for the NBA’s support of Google Video when the service relaunched as a marketplace at CES 2006. That deal made a lot more noise than it did money and ended as planned before the current season began. Now the two are trying again, this time with a rev share deal between the NBA and YouTube. Fans are being urged to upload videos of their own best moves on the court—the top 10 weekly will be put on a highlight reel and shown on NBA TV. The NBA promises to upload “select plays and behind-the-scene video. The YouTube NBA channel has a promo and link for more video at NBA.com. One element of YouTube appears to be missing—the comments were turned off on the videos I played.
—The NBA deal includes YouTube’s “claim your content” program. (So far, though, no problem viewing non-NBA-posted footage of the All-Star weekend and the like.) The NBA can have footage removed or choose to share ad revenue. Release.
Cynical perspective: During the discussion on this deal on CNBC today, the idea came up repeatedly that was the league’s way of making sure YouTube keeps unapproved copyrighted materials off the site. I agree with Darren Rovell, though: the proof of the value for fans will be in the quality of the NBA’s own uploads.
AdSense: The NBA also is syndicating clips through Google in an AdSense test: “Publishers small and large, cutting across a variety of categories, will receive syndicated clips of top-flight NBA action.”
Fan Voice: The NBA has added a social net called Fan Voice to NBA.com. (via MicroPersuasion.)
NYT: Richard Sandomir looks at the NBA and NHL’s decision to deal with YouTube: “The N.B.A. and the N.H.L. covet YouTube’s community, a global gathering of people who upload videos, watch what others post and provide running strings of commentary. ‘One hundred million videos are viewed each day on YouTube,’ Grimes said. ‘You can’t argue with those numbers.’” The NHL’s Bernadette Mansur attribites the league’s success on YouTube—in top 50 channels, a funny promo in the top 10—to the “young, well-educated, tech-savvy fans.” She also said there have been 800,000 full-length game downloads on Google Video.
Related:
—YouTube Cuts First Major Sports Deal; Will Launch NHL Channel; Glimpse Of New Google Video Strategy?
—NBA Drops Google Video—For Now, NHL Laces Up; YouTube Removes NFL Clips