Video-sharing website YouTube has agreed a deal with US basketball league the National Basketball Association for the live streaming of more than 350 games from the second-tier Development League (D-League) during the 2012-13 season.
YouTube is reported to have paid a fee in the low six figures for the rights. The deal is said to be the video-sharing platform’s biggest-ever rights deal for a professional sports league.
The live matches will shown on a D-League channel on YouTube, and the NBA’s website. The D-League YouTube channel will show more live games than any other professional league channel on the video-sharing platform.
The D-League has a television rights deal with US pay-television channel CBS Sports Network, and is also covered on the league’s own pay-television channel NBA TV.