When YouTube first started streaming Indian Premier League cricket at the beginning of March, it did so on a time delay for matches shown in the United States. Today, the streaming video service has announced that the matches have become so popular in the U.S. that there’s no longer a need to wait – the games will be streamed live here as well.
According to YouTube’s blog post, the Indian Premier League YouTube channel has had over 40 million views, with the United States accounting for the most views after only the most obvious location – India.
While some seemed to say that the quality was subpar at the onset, you can’t really argue with more than 40 million views just over a month after launch. And, as a New York Giants fan living in the great state of Texas, I would know first hand that even a grainy Internet broadcast can be better than nothing.
Currently, YouTube’s IPL channel is its first and only foray into live sports streaming and, being on YouTube, is available to iPhone users as well as other mobile users that can access the site. And, according to Forbes, the cricket league is big business, so we can only wonder what the next step here is.
So, for you displaced sports fans like myself, the semi-finals begin in just over two days’ time and will be streaming live on YouTube. Get to watchin’.
