As the masses dissect Thursday's reveal of Google TV -- and Mark Cuban's blog has an interesting take on it -- the debate is on about how successful it will be. While not everything Google has touched turns to gold, it consistently has been ahead of the curve. Its recent foray into broadcasting live sports is the most recent example.
YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, just concluded broadcasting cricket around the globe to unparalleled success. YouTube carried the Indian Premier League's third season, broadcasting the league's 60 matches live.
YouTube's IPL channel reportedly got 54 million video views. To put that into perspective, NBC got 45 million video streams for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. According to the New York Times, 40 percent of the IPL viewers came from outside of India.
It was the first time YouTube carried a major sporting event. It won't be the last. Google has already indicated it will pursue other sports to broadcast live, and other events such as concerts. India has a population of nearly 1.2 billion. Getting 54 million streams for the IPL was just a first step. Sports that attract global audiences -- think soccer, cycling and field hockey -- may be next up.
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