NBA Signs Another Video Deal With Google; This Time, YouTube and AdSense Are The Venues

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

Comments have been disabled for this post