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YouTube Signs Deal with National Hockey League

YouTube, the popular online video company, announced recently that it has signed a deal with America?s National Hockey League (NHL). This is the first sports league to sign a deal with an online media company and it is hoped that the move breaks ground for other leagues to follow suit. As part of the deal, YouTube will show short clips of NHL games to viewers on its site. All surfers need to do is type ?hockey? into YouTube?s search engine to find hundreds of clips already uploaded.

More than 100 million clips are viewed on YouTube every day and it is one of the most popular sites on the internet. The company was purchased by the search giant, Google for a staggering $1.65-billion recently and has enjoyed excellent marketing campaigns ever since. Starting this month, viewers will be able to watch 2-5 minute video clips from the 2006-2007 hockey season. Under the deal, You Tube technology will identify and remove NHL clips that were illegally posted. The two organizations will share revenue from ads placed next to the uploaded content.

YouTube is presently conducting negotiations with other sports bodies. If the NHL move is successful, the world of sports viewing will never be the same again as more people than ever will be able to watch exciting moments from games around the world. YouTube has already entered into agreements with media giants such as CBS Corp. and NBC Universal, as well as Warner Music Group and Sony.