YouTube has always been a power player in the sports space. With the ability to capture, edit and showcase highlights, it's been a perfect way to showcase sports at every level. Middle school, high school, college and the professional ranks have athletes that are household names simply because of their presence on YouTube. HoopMixtape videos have been around since late 2000's and NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB highlights have been shown since YouTube's inception. Looking for action sports? Red Bull and a lot of other content creators have hours upon hours of footage to watch. What is different now is not only the quality of these videos, but the use of longer-form videos by sport properties to reach a loyal dedicated audience that is not seen in other places on the internet except for the likes of Reddit and Twitch. While platforms like Twitter and Instagram enable athletes and sports teams to create content and connect with its core consumer, Youtube allows these properties to create content that is continual, longer, and content that dives deeper into the day in the life of an athlete and/or team. Instagram has longer form videos available with their newly-launched Instagram TV, but that might take awhile for it to position itself as an attractive platform for advertisers and brands. People are on Instagram for a specific reason and it usually includes a minute video on their feed that engages them in a different way than a YouTube video. Vertical videos have gained steam, but not for long form content the way horizontal videos have captured audiences. Youtube has and always will work for video content because its calling card is all things video. Kevin Durant dropped a docu-series and full-length documentary last spring that chronicled his journey through the NBA playoffs and championship run with the Golden State Warriors. While KD receives plenty of hate on Twitter and Instagram and is the center of many sport-related discussions/debates on television, there is not much hate on his YouTube channel. Consumers will not waste time watching video content they dislike because there is so much content elsewhere to enjoy. (TV shows, movies, social content) If someone is watching videos on KD's channel, it is probably because they want to and are seeking out this behind-the-scenes content. Similar to athletes, teams can shape their overall brand and content through in-house content. Media still plays an important role for sport organizations, but teams have much more control from a branding perspective and the content they create. Take the Chicago Bulls, for example. Their "Run With Us' marketing campaign that highlights the team's rebuilding became a YouTube series. Using an episodic format for content is smart and is the approach a lot of bloggers (especially basketball) have taken when recording high school phenoms and teams. Despite the effectiveness of one-off content, athletes and brands must recognize the importance of creating a storyline and corresponding series. People want to feel like they are apart of something, and that's what television has always been about. With sports, there is already a built-in following that can be tapped into when creating YouTube series, one-off videos and other content on this platform. LeBron James and Maverick Carter recently launched a documentary series following a high school team in Newark called "Best Shot" through YouTube Originals. The catch is that you can only view on YouTube and not even on UnInterrupted, LeBron's website and hub for sports and lifestyle content. I believe there will always be a lot of information and videos to enjoy on a sports property, but there will also be room for these day-in-the-life features for loyal fans who want that added access on YouTube only. Expect to see more of this, especially from the NBA and other professional sport leagues. As I discuss the power of Youtube and it's services, I want to briefly mention YouTube TV, a powerful cord-free cable streaming service, The infrastructure that is built in with YouTube's other products like YouTube Premium is what really stands out. Consumers are able to add content to their 'Watch later' list and that same video will appear on a recommended content list on Youtube TV. That cross integration is what every consumer wants. YouTube TV is clearly bullish on getting sport properties on board and becoming the presenting sponsor for large scale events including the NBA Finals and MLB World Series. Its advertising is effective and extremely rational. They even signed a deal with the Seattle Sounders to stream all of its games. YouTube's interest in professional sports is a sign of things to come that everyone should watch, literally and figuratively. This is only the beginning for longer form sports content having a place on YouTube. We might see the likes of HBO and Showtime position themselves differently because of this shift in how YouTube is working with sport entities. I can see a day where it is just movies on the aforementioned speciality channels that used to have its place on premium cable television. Likewise, the advertising platform on YouTube is an extremely lucrative pull because of Google's presence in the ad buying space. This will undoubtedly attract more advertises as more brands and eyeballs stay and go to YouTube. YouTube has always had a special space in the hearts of consumers, but there is a resurgence happening that can really benefit content creators and shape how sports are consumed moving forward. Stay tuned!