Report: Google to bid on US and International soccer rights

It's buried in this article about upcoming rights deals, but Sports Business Journal is reporting that Google is planning on getting into the online subscription sports game by purchasing rights to show US and international soccer online (link). The deal would put soccer on youtube as a subscription service like MLS Live, Fox Soccer 2 Go, and NBC Extra Time. MLS and YouTube have been partners since 2007 with a dedicated MLS Channel on the video streaming platform.

It's hard to gauge how successful online subscription packages have been, but it's something up until now that's been handled on a league by league basis. The international leagues have their online rights in the US handled by the television provider which holds their rights: NBC with EPL, FOX with Champions League and others, beIN Sport with La Liga and others.

The nature of these services varies from provider to provider making cord cutting difficult for soccer fans. Uniting them under one umbrella for one price makes a great deal of sense, especially as local markets start to loosen their grip on blackout rules.

World Soccer Talk jumped to the conclusion that Google would bid for MLS' television rights which I truly don't think is the case. That would be such a radical change from how sports broadcasts have been handled in the US. It's also absurd to think MLS would make their playoffs and MLS Cup matches only available through an online subscription services, that YouTube is going to begin producing live sports broadcasts a year from now.

The Sports Business article also predicts the 2014 World Cup will be a ratings bonanza, and certainly it's expected to break the records South Africa set with the time zone lining up better with the US.

Update: For anyone still trying to believe the World Soccer Talk interpretation

@thegoalkeeper Thanks. I didn't think my prediction said that MLS was leaving TV, but it seemed to take a life of its own.

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) December 19, 2013