D-League will be broadcast live on YouTube

The NBA announced that they are going to start doing live-streams of D-League games on YouTube.

NBA Development League: NBA and YouTube To Partner To Present NBA D-League Games Live on YouTube

NEW YORK, November 20, 2012 – The NBA and YouTube announced a new deal today that will provide fans with more than 350 NBA Development League games streamed live during the 2012-13 regular season on the NBA D-League YouTube channel and through a YouTube video player on NBA.com. The partnership was announced by Adam Silver, NBA Deputy Commissioner, and Claude Ruibal, Global Head of Sports for Google/YouTube.

Brilliant move by a league that is headed in the right direction in many ways.

NBA D-League to stream games live on YouTube | The Point Forward - SI.com

This deal, then, is great exposure for a league that desperately needs it, particularly because its schedule runs concurrently with the NBA’s. Will this deal lead to huge YouTube views for individual games? Probably not, but no one would be surprised if online viewers outpaced in-person attendance. The bigger opportunity is the chance to go viral. If a D-Leaguer buried in the Dakotas explodes for 50 points or jumps over an opponent during a 360 degree dunk, fans are one major step closer to seeing, and sharing, that action.

If you are curious, here's the Red Claws schedule. Your first chance to see Fab Melo, Kris Joseph, and their new teammates in action is Friday.