Video-sharing website YouTube has agreed a deal with Rightster, the digital video company, and the MP & Silva agency, for highlights content from a number of international football leagues and cup competitions.
Under the agreement, a new channel will be created on YouTube, called Love Football, which will show highlights from the Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1, the US Major League Soccer, Brazil’s Serie A, English football’s second-tier Championship, and the English FA and league cups.
Each of the leagues and cup competitions are subject to differing content and geo-blocking restrictions, in order to comply with existing rights deals. Coverage of the Italian Serie A, for example, includes one-minute goal clips (available five hours of after the match) and three-minute highlights clips for every match (available three hours after the match), plus weekly preview and highlights shows. The content is geo-blocked in Italy.
The Brazilian Serie A highlights will be available immediately to YouTube users in France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. UK and Irish fans will have to wait until next season to access the content.
Stephen Nuttall, senior director of sports at YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer content from Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and other international leagues to YouTube’s passionate football community around the world. Our ambition is to establish YouTube as a destination for goals and highlights and this deal adds another top league to YouTube’s football offer.”