YOUTUBE AND NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE TEAM UP FOR STRATEGIC CONTENT AND ADVERTISING PARTNERSHIP
First Major Sports League to Provide Content for the YouTube Community
SAN BRUNO, Calif. and NEW YORK�" (Nov. 15, 2006) �" YouTube, Inc., a consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience, and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced they have formed a strategic content and advertising partnership in which the NHL will provide daily short-form video content to YouTube for the 2006-2007 season beginning this month.
The partnership marks the first time that a professional U.S. sports league has entered into a content agreement with YouTube. The agreement will enable users to access video highlights of NHL regular season games, which will be available within 24 hours of the original broadcast, in addition to other on and off ice footage.
“The partnership will enable the NHL to expose YouTube’s vast audience to all of the excitement and drama of the new NHL,” said Doug Perlman, NHL Executive Vice President, Media. “What a great way to showcase the talent of our athletes.”
“By delivering a wide array of daily programming to YouTube, the NHL will be able to connect with its existing fan base and reach a vast new audience that is passionate about hockey,” said Kevin Donahue, vice president of content for YouTube. “Today’s agreement demonstrates how major sports leagues are realizing the powerful benefits YouTube offers in terms of growing their audience and creating a new channel for generating revenue.”
Through its partnership with YouTube, the NHL will be able to take advantage of YouTube’s “Claim Your Content” program, which features an advanced content identification architecture and reporting system allowing the league to identify and protect its copyrighted content. The league will have the option to remove the content from YouTube or allow it to remain and share the revenue from the advertising placed adjacent to the content.
NHL will provide the YouTube community and hockey fans in general, a wide range of free, short-form entertaining clips. The NHL also will have its own Brand Channel on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/NHL that will allow fans to easily access content in one centralized place. Additionally, the NHL will have Branded Watch Pages, which allows YouTube content partners to brand the pages on which their videos play.
Nov 15, 06
