When Youtube was launched in 2005, it was just a website where people could just put videos up about anything they want from a bunch of categories. No one anticipated that Youtube would become a part of today’s entertainment culture. Youtube, along with Netflix, Hulu and others have led to what is now known as the “Cord Cutter”.
With the costs of cable and satellite, people are getting fed up with the prices that they are being charged and thus dumping both of them together. Today, many people have a streaming device like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, etc. I got rid of my satellite (Directv) after 3 years because it was getting so expensive. I ended up getting an Amazon Fire TV Stick, an HD indoor antenna, and a subscription to PlayStation Vue, which I recommend getting if you are cutting your cable or satellite.
PlayStation Vue not just comes with on-demand but also includes a free cloud DVR and the prices are good. Anyway, back to the topic, so with people cutting the cord altogether and going to digital streaming devices, sports leagues that don’t have a national or regional television contract should consider airing their games on Youtube.
About 3 weeks ago, the Indoor Football League (IFL) announced that they would air the upcoming 2017 season on Youtube. This is a great move by the league. I’ve seen clips of their games on Youtube but only watch one game. That was when Terrell Owens played only one game for the Texas Revolution and I enjoyed watching the game.
Now the league is in a position to gain a new fan base. The NBA Development League used to air games on Youtube and now they air their games on Facebook Live. The league is at a disadvantage because you can’t watch the games on a television screen like you can on Youtube.
It would be smart for the NBA Development League to air games both on Youtube and Facebook Live so they don’t lose fans who don’t have Facebook. So what other leagues should air games on Youtube? First, here is a list of what sports and racing leagues currently air on Youtube.
Currently airing Live Sporting Events on Youtube:
Indoor Football League (IFL)
National Area League (NAL)
Major Indoor Soccer League
National Women’s Hockey League
Atlantic League Baseball: All these teams air live games during the season
Lancaster Barnstormers
York Revolution
Somerset Patriots
Bridgeport Bluefish
New Britain Bees
Sugar Land Skeeters
Long Island Ducks
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
Currently airing Live Racing Events on Youtube:
Nismo TV (Nissan Racing)
FIA World Rallycross Championship
TCR TV
NHRA D3TV
International GT Open
24H Series
TORC Off-Road Series
GT World
Verizon Indycar Series
NHRA Division 1 Series
FIA Formula 3
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
GT4 European Series
These are so far the only ones on Youtube that I know that air live games. If you know any other sports leagues that air on Youtube, please feel free to comment below. Here are the leagues that should consider airing live sports games on Youtube. I think this is a great choice of leagues that would do good on Youtube.
Champions Indoor Football (CIF)
International Hot Rod Association (IHRA)
Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL)
American Association (AA Independent Baseball)
American Basketball Association (ABA)
Federal Hockey League (FHL)
Major League Lacrosse
Premier Arena Soccer League
ECHL
If these leagues decide to go to Youtube to air their games, not only would they extend YouTube’s content for live games, but they would also gain recognition and possibly a new audience.
