etricities.com

When the first ball of this year’s Indian Premier League cricket season is bowled, fans across the planet will have a front row seat in the world’s biggest online sports stadium. Tonight the Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders will face off in Mumbai at 8 p.m. IST, and the YouTube global community will be able to tune in to the IPL’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/ipl) for streaming and on-demand access to witness the start of what promises to be one of the most widely-distributed sporting events in history. Fans can watch matches, highlight videos, player interviews and much more all on the IPL’s YouTube Channel.


Named by Forbes as the "hottest sports league in the world" with revenues comparable to the world’s most popular leagues, the IPL season is a 60-match, 43-day tournament that features some of the best talent in cricket today. You can come to YouTube and keep up with the action any time, anywhere, and connect with fans across the globe. Watch as the match happens, or if you missed a match, tune in later to see what happened. The entire season will be streamed around the world on YouTube, except in the U.S., where matches will be time-delayed and made available 15 minutes after the match ends.

On the IPL Channel, you’ll see three tabs:

• Today’s Matches: This is where you can watch streamed matches as they happen. (Note that the stream will be delayed by a few minutes.) Click through at any time to see the match scorecard.
• Recent Matches: Catch up any time on the full action of matches that have already happened. Watch Sachin cream the ball through the covers, Warney taking his latest wicket and more.
• Highlights: If you’re short on time, check in here for short videos of player interviews, match highlights, greatest plays, and more.

And for all of you who want to cheer or commiserate with others, check out our Twitter gadget on the channel page to be part of the conversation. You can keep up with the discussion on Twitter with the YouTube IPL hashtag (#youtube_ipl). Share, rate and comment on videos throughout the channel, or upload your own video responses to the action. There's also a link so you can join the Official DLF IPL community on Orkut (www.orkut.com/ipl).

We'll be watching the donkey drops, the five-fers, the flippers and floaters, the half-yorkers and slow sweeps — and cheering alongside you!

Amit Agrawal, Strategic Partner Development Manager

* A googly is a kind of pitch similar to a baseball pitch or a bowling throw in the game cricket; a wicked googly would be a really good pitch.

Tiger Woods will emerge from his silence tomorrow morning, speaking publicly for the first time since December 2009, when he admitted to marital infidelity -- a scandal that tarnished his squeaky clean image and stymied his golf career.

Many sports fans are eager to hear if and when he'll return to competition. Woods should address this tomorrow at a small press conference in Florida, which we'll be live streaming on youtube.com/citizentube beginning at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET. (You'll also be able to access the press conference via our homepage spotlight at www.youtube.com.) Be sure to tune in immediately because the conference isn't likely to last that long.

Here's a peek of what to expect, from the Associated Press:



The YouTube Team

Tiger Woods will emerge from his silence tomorrow morning, speaking publicly for the first time since December 2009, when he admitted to marital infidelity -- a scandal that tarnished his squeaky clean image and stymied his golf career.

Many sports fans are eager to hear if and when he'll return to competition. Woods should address this tomorrow at a small press conference in Florida, which we'll be live streaming on youtube.com/citizentube beginning at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET. (You'll also be able to access the press conference via our homepage spotlight at www.youtube.com.) Be sure to tune in immediately because the conference isn't likely to last that long.

Here's a peek of what to expect, from the Associated Press:



The YouTube Team

Super Bowl XLIV. Of all the events on the American sports landscape, this is the most important game of the year.

Kickoff is at 6:25pm ET in Miami, where the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts will meet the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints to decide the NFL Champion. Football fans are anticipating a great game, featuring the cerebral control of Colts quarterback and regular season MVP Peyton Manning against the creative style of Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

Off the field and on screens everywhere, Madison Avenue heavyweights will be competing, as well. Advertisers are reportedly paying as much as $3 million for 30 seconds of your time in what promises to be an epic contest of brands, products and celebrity endorsers.

To whet your appetite for both competitions, our Ad Blitz channel, with pre-game videos sponsored by Kia Motors, is a one-stop shop for everything Super Bowl-related. YouTube partners have been busy making predictions, cooking up party recipes and generally dishing on all things related the big game:



During the game, we'll be adding all the 2010 Super Bowl commercials to a video wall on the Ad Blitz channel immediately after they air on TV. Come to the channel to watch and give each ad a thumbs up or down. Voting ends Monday, February 15, with the winner gracing our homepage on Thursday, February 18.

May the best team – and ad – win!

Andrew Bangs, Sports Manager, recently watched "If Filmmakers Directed the Super Bowl."

UPDATE: We’ve seen a fair amount of speculation online regarding a few Super Bowl ads that are currently missing from YouTube’s Ad Blitz. To be clear, each video uploaded to the Ad Blitz was authorized in advance at the advertiser’s request. (Not all Super Bowl advertisers gave us permission to include their ad.) Still, any advertiser airing an ad during the game can send us their ad and enter the Ad Blitz at any time before the end of the voting period, which closes at 11:59:59 PM (ET) on February 15, 2010. We expect to add additional videos to the Ad Blitz in the coming days.

And congratulations Saints!

Colts defeat Jets

In spite of every ESPN talking head out there playing this one up as a possible close game or even Jets win, it's no surprise that the Colts not only won, but dominated. the Colts had twice as many first downs, more total yardage, more rushing yards and more passing yards. Take away a gadget play touchdown and the margin of victory is nearly 3 touchdowns. The Jets were dominated.

Even down 17-6 just before the half, it never really felt like they were in trouble. I had a one moment where I thought maybe destiny was guiding the Jets and then Manning does his thing gets them a TD just before half time. At that point, I knew the game was over.

Games like these bug me the week before they are played. I understand ESPN has to fill programming 24/7 and needs to have the tension of opposing views, but it's just annoying when you know that one team is so much better than the other. I'd hate to be those ESPN guys who had to take one for the team and act like the Jets were something to worry about.

Saints in First Super Bowl Ever!

I'm very happy for the Saints. The city of New Orleans really deserves this. It's been a tough few years for them and this is a celebration I know they enjoyed. Add to it the fact they've never been to the dance and they're leader, Drew Brees, is as good a human being as he is quarterback, it's hard not to be happy for them.

That said, if the Colts roll up 500 yards of offense on them like the Vikes did, it will not be pretty. If the Vikings hold on to the ball, they get blown out. So, there is lots of work for Payton and crew if this is to be a competitive Super Bowl. Anything short of a Peyton Manning voodoo doll probably will not be enough.

Bret Favre

I hated to see him go out like this. Especially in a game where he was beaten and battered and kept getting up and coming back out to play. Say what you want about Favre, but he is one of the players that comes closest to earning every penny of the ridiculous paychecks these guys get. He's 40 years old, plays every play, and plays every one of them hard. I respect that. You can blame the loss on him if you wish. But if those 3 fumbles don't happen, and the penalty just before his final interception, we'd probably have seen a different outcome. That's not to even mention the illegal shot he took to the legs on the first INT.(it's the rule, like it or not)

He's had an amazing career and should probably call it quits. But if he decides to come back, I ain't mad at him and you shouldn't be either. Once he actually retires, that is it. He never gets to do the thing he loves ever again. Imagine losing the thing you love to do most at the age of 40 or younger.

All that said, unless you are a die hard Packer fan who bleeds green and yellow, your hate for the guy is irrational but I expect it will continue to flow in his direction.

UT Men's Basketball

I said last week they were due a loss and Georgia took them to the woodshed. Coming off an emotional home stand down 3 players and knocking off #1 to start that run, it's not surprising a road game at Georgia got them. The Bulldogs played a great game and that crowd was really into it.

I think they'll be fine, but ultimately, the loss of Tyler Smith is going to cost them a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

One of our most popular advertiser-supported programs is AdBlitz, which asks you to vote on the year's best Super Bowl commercial. For 2010, we've beefed up the channel with extensive NFL playoff coverage, travel videos for those going to Miami for the big game, Super Bowl party planning tips and recipes, and more. The AdBlitz Pre-Game channel, brought to you by Kia Motors, features videos from a diverse array of partners, including Fox Sports, Yardbarker, JR Sport Brief, Fitzy, The Dallas Cowboy Show, CowboyTD, The Travel Channel, Foodwishes and The Food Network.

Here are just a few examples of what you'll find:







Check back regularly for updated coverage and prediction videos. Once the Super Bowl begins on February 7, return to view and vote on all the ads, which are always a main topic of conversation in the days following the event.

Andrew Bangs, Sports Manager, recently watched "Griner Dunks Twice."

We'd give you chocolates with it if we could: This week marks the launch of our advent-style calendar counting down some of the most memorable videos of the year on YouTube. This sponsored collection, presented by Samsung U10, will reveal one new popular video each day throughout the month of December.

Without giving too much away, you can expect to see some well-known YouTube videographers on the countdown, along with breakout viral videos and a selection of the year's biggest pop-culture phenoms and memes.

During December, we'll be adding playlists to the channel to dig a little deeper into YouTube's content categories -- because we know that a video doesn't have to have millions of views to make an impact.

So check out the countdown as it unfolds, and see if your favorite clips or personalities are featured. Definitely let us know in the comments what your video of the year would be, whether it's a blockbuster clip or one that simply made an impression on you. With a limit of 31 videos in the countdown, we know it only just scratches the surface of this incredible time on YouTube.

Mark Day, Marketing Programs Manager, recently watched "Beatles 3000."

From Dwight Howard dunks to Skateboarding Twins' kickflips, sports on YouTube has always been big. Today, YouTube sports fans have even more reason to cheer: ESPN clips are now available on our site. The deal, officially announced in March, is part of our new partnership with Disney. And in the spirit of this great new content coming to YouTube, the folks at ESPN have made a YouTube community welcome video in which you just might notice a few characters:



On their new channel, www.youtube.com/ESPN, you'll find Albert Pujols' towering home runs and Peyton Manning's laser passes, Kobe Bryant's turnaround jumpers and Brock Lesnar's haymakers, the hottest breaking news stories and a ton of original ESPN shows. SportsCenter Right Now — a twice-daily capsule of top sports stories — will also live on the channel, as will clips from Outside the Lines, E:60, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn and Kenny Mayne's original digital series Mayne Street, as well as special packages and playlists created around events like the X Games (which is July 30-August 2). All of this is viewable through a special ESPN video player on the watch page and at YouTube's sports hub, www.youtube.com/sports.

Posted by Andrew Bangs, Sports Manager

I heart Bob Corker:

The primary sticking point for the White House and Republicans is that there is no clear-cut language in the bill requiring the automakers to restructure their enormous debt before they take on new debt to taxpayers. "Once bond holders see that the government is in this, they will have no incentive to write down the value of the debt they hold," said Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee who has been influential during the negotiations despite his freshman status. "These companies cannot be restructured for success without a complete restructuring of their debt and labor and retiree obligations, and the debt is the biggest issue," said Corker, who added, "I wanted to see more teeth in the bill."

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