YouTube weighs more live sports rights as it builds Premium

YouTube is exploring additional live sports rights as it looks for ways to strengthen both its free service and its paid Premium offering. The company is said to prefer rights packages that are easy to explain to viewers, such as all local games for a team or a full tournament, rather than a scattered set of unrelated events. The strategy differs from Netflix’s approach to sports, since YouTube appears more interested in buying games in bulk when there is a clear consumer use case. Reports have linked YouTube to possible NBA regional rights and FIFA World Cup interest, while the company is also still evaluating whether a broader NBA localrights package would make sense. A key goal is to use sports to support YouTube Premium, which costs $15.99 a month and removes ads. YouTube could place a limited number of games on its free service as a way to promote Premium subscriptions, while continuing to rely on live sports to attract viewers and deepen engagement across its platform.