NBCUniversal, the major US broadcasting heavyweight, has unveiled a major strategic partnership with Google-owned video-sharing heavyweight YouTube, with sport heavily involved.
The multi-year agreement between the two parties will see the NBC Sports broadcaster act as the production partner for a range of "select premier live sporting events" on YouTube, while a selection of live sports events on Comcast-owned NBCU will stream on the YouTube channel for NBC Sports.
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The Peacock Premium streaming service will also be bundled with the YouTube Premium platform, giving subscribers access to Peacock's full range of top-tier live sport, including American football, college football, basketball, baseball, as well as soccer's English Premier League and the Olympics.
Other elements of the agreement include NBCU's overall distribution deal with YouTube TV being extended, and YouTube Premium distributing the international NBCU streaming services – Universal+ and Hayu – in select markets.
NBCU has said the deal "marks Peacock's largest wholesale distribution partnership to date."
Mike Cavanagh, Comcast Corporation's co-chief executive (CEO), explained: "We’re excited to deepen our relationship with YouTube through a collaboration that reflects our strategy of partnering with industry leaders to drive sustained growth for NBCUniversal.”
Last month, NBCU struck a new carriage deal with FuboTV, the sports-focused US streaming platform now owned by media giant Disney.
Neal Mohan, YouTube's CEO, added: "YouTube Premium brings your favorite creators, artists, and cultural moments together uninterrupted, and now, we’re pairing that ultimate viewing experience with Peacock’s expansive lineup of live sports like Sunday Night Football."
Elsewhere, US subscribers to YouTube TV have now been granted access to the full range of content from heavyweight sports broadcaster ESPN, at no extra cost.
Those with subscriptions to YouTube TV will now be able to access the ESPN Unlimited service directly, through the ESPN app.
A soft launch has been taking place over the last few days, initially reported by US media, and has not been officially unveiled (yet) by either party.
This comes following a multi-year distribution tie-up between YouTube and Disney (which owns ESPN) late last year, following a lengthy dispute over carriage deal terms.
YouTube, in terms of its sporting presence, has been eyeing up a package of international rights to a handful of NFL American football games for the last few months, meanwhile.
