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NFL's YouTube/Google Partnership Demonstrates Devotion To Digital Expansion

Darren Heitner
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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
I cover the intersection of sports and money.
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This article is more than 9 years old.

As the stage gets set for the largest National Football League (NFL) event of the year, the NFL has announced a new strategic partnership that could signify a serious shift to digital for the strongest professional sports league in the U.S.  Mere days prior to Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL has revealed an expansive partnership with digital juggernaut YouTube and its parent Google .  The perceived highlight of the partnership is the creation of an official NFL channel on the platform, which will provide a weekly programming schedule of NFL content.

However, the most noticeable change for Internet users may be the way that Google search results are influenced by the new partnership between the NFL and the company that largely controls content searches across the Internet.  Google, which acquired YouTube in November 2006 for $1.65 billion, will push official NFL video and related news and information to users who search for NFL-related content on the popular search engine.  The results will be delivered through a distinct box at the top of said search engine results, ensuring that the NFL gets prime placement above NFL-related content that is not actually generated by the league.

Fans can already access the official NFL channel on YouTube and view clips from the 2014 NFL season.  They can also stay abreast with happenings on the ground in Arizona leading up to the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.  Yet, the key for the channel will be its ability to push in-game highlights during the game, which is being advertised as a feature of the new service.

"Partnering with YouTube and Google provides the NFL unique access to millions of highly engaged fans through the global leader in video and search," said Hans Schroeder, Senior Vice President, Media Strategy, Business Development, & Sales for the NFL.  "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."

The NFL content that YouTube and Google will provide to its users will be fully accessible on PCs, tablets and mobile phones.  It shows a continuing commitment by the league to expand its digital presence.  The NFL's digital media presence surrounding Super Bowl XLIX includes content on NFL.com, SuperBowl.com, NFL Now, NFL Mobile from Verizon, the Xbox One NFL app and more.

Darren Heitner is a lawyer and the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C., which has a focus on Sports Law and Entertainment Law.

Darren Heitner
Darren Heitner