Video Platform, YouTube, has announced that they have won the rights to broadcast most NFL football games in the US next year. According the media reports, around $2 billion a year over seven years will be paid by the Google for the right to broadcast Sunday games on its subscription TV service, available only in the United States. The YouTube TV subscribers will have to pay an added fee to view the games, not determined as yet, or they can view them on an a-la-carte basis on its YouTube Primetime Channels. They won’t be able to see games involving their local teams because of a separate contract.
The Fox and CBS networks will continue to share some broadcasting rights within the United States.
For years the NFL has built a growing presence on YouTube, with videos offering game summaries and highlights. That has allowed the league to reach a younger audience, one that prefers short, punchy videos over broadcasts of full matches, which can last three hours or more. The NFL’s official channel has more than 10 million subscribers, who regularly watch short videos showing high points from one of the world’s most powerful sports leagues.
The NFL wants to further exploit its new arrangement by providing more official content to YouTube and connecting creators to its events. The new deal will help extend the reach of YouTube TV, which has more than five million subscribers.