The fact that 40% of YouTube’s traffic now comes from mobile devices wasn’t the only bit of news Google revealed about YouTube during its Q3 2013 earnings call last week. The multinational internet-related services and products conglomerate whose stock price is now in the quadruple digits announced it’s not currently pursuing any big dollar deals with the National Football League. (Obviously, investors didn’t seem to mind.)
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the week the NFL was in very preliminary talks with Google and other online video distribution networks about streaming a new slate of Thursday night games to either supplement or replace NFL Network’s current Thursday night offerings. AllThingsD also previously revealed Google and YouTube higher-ups had a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and a delegation from the League where NFL’s Sunday Ticket Package was one of the topics discussed. DirecTV currently has exclusive rights to NFL’s Sunday Ticket (to the tune of roughly $1 billion) through 2014.
While the prospect of seeing live NFL games by way of a YouTube URL is intriguing to all those in the online video industry and football fans who have cut the cord, the prospect isn’t likely any time in the near future.
“Sure, we will talk to anybody who wants to talk to us about content,” said Google’s Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer, Nikesh Arora when questioned about his company’s potential dealings with the NFL. “But for now, we’re happy with where we are.”
Furthermore, Vice President of Communications at the NFL (aka NFLprguy), Brian McCarthy sent out this pair of tweets on Wednesday, October 16:
Wondering where the idea of Thursday night doubleheaders came from? So are we. We have not considered this
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) October 16, 2013
#nflthursday it’s not happening
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) October 16, 2013
The NFL’s own aspirations to grow its NFL Network’s Thursday night programming into the “place to be,” DirecTV’s reliance on the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package, the not yet established economics of the online video industry, and the very well established economics of traditional broadcast mean you’ll most likely only be tuning into YouTube to see NFL clips and highlights, at least for the next few contract cycles / years.
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