YouTube Launching Sports Portal

PARIS: YouTube has signed a multi-territory deal with SportAccord, a representative of institutional sport federations worldwide, to create Sports Hub, featuring more than 2,000 videos from a large variety of sports.

Set to launch in spring, Sports Hub will feature a mix of short- and long-form content showing matches, competitions, interviews, behind-the-scene footage and educational material. SportAccord groups together 104 World Sports Federations, including, basketball, swimming and the Paralympics. Other federations represented include cycling, karate, American football and wrestling. All video material on Sports Hub will be ad supported.

Chad Hurley, the co-founder and chief executive of YouTube, announced the news with Hein Verbruggen, the president of SportAccord, in Paris at Le Web 2009. Hurley said: "We see a lot of content but this is some of the best content we’ve seen for engaging audiences about things they care about. It’s compelling, and this is what YouTube is all about—celebrating diversity."

Hurley added, “We are confident that the Sports Hub will create new promotion opportunities for a wide variety of associations and enable them to reach both existing and new sport fans around the world with their content.”

Verbruggen commented, “This is an amazing opportunity for our members and sport to enhance their presence online.”