The Hockey Stop

Reports have been swirling the past couple of days that Google is in talks with the NBA and NHL about streaming live games on its popular YouTube viral video service. Even though the NHL is denying negotiations with Google about this, and the NBA is saying this would only be for their Asian market, this is still big news and it is a near certainty that at some point in the future professional sports games will be available on YouTube.

This move could be a game changer because it would pose a direct threat to lucrative cable television contracts the leagues have -- the NHL with Versus and the NBA with TNT and ESPN. With the integration of the PC and TV getting closer to reality all the time, there is a real chance showing live streaming games on YouTube could siphon viewers -- and ad revenue -- away from traditional cable channels, especially if your Internet is hooked up to a big flat screen TV and is streamed in HD quality.

Also, streaming live games on YouTube could make blackout rules in media markets irrelevant. Your home team's game might be blacked out on Versus because Comcast has exclusive rights, but then you can just surf over to the YouTube website and watch the game there instead of paying extra for Comcast. However, it is possible to black out local games on the Internet, as the NHL's online subscription package Gamecenter Live and the NBA's League Pass both do.

Regardless, this developing story is yet another example of the couch and the computer coming together. Stay tuned as the Internet revolution continues its invasion of living rooms around the world.