GOOGLE CHAIR: YOUTUBE CAN DELIVER LIVE NFL VIDEO TO MILLIONS

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt says that the company’s YouTube unit now has the capability to stream live, high-definition video to tens of millions of users and thereby deliver NFL games exclusively over the Internet. Interviewed by BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield, Schmidt said that the only thing stopping the NFL, NBA and MLB from migrating from broadcast and cable networks to the Internet is the financial demands of the sports organizations, not technical issues. Commented Greenfield, “Historically, a key reservation we have heard from executives throughout the sports industry was that the Internet is simply not capable of handling live video, particularly at the quality that consumers have come to expect.” Greenfield predicted that a major disruption in the television business is coming. “We believe it is only a matter of time until Google or another large technology company acquires a meaningful package of sports rights,” he wrote in a message to clients.