In a surprising turn of events Google’s YouTube has signed up the rights to show all games of the Indian Premier League cricket competition live online. The deal runs over a period of two years.

Of course the sports body can still sell the rights to the TV broadcast to any takers. TV has not been excluded. So why should they worry. How many viewers will flock to online rather than watch on TV?

After all, TV surely has the upper hand when it comes to showing the games with commentary and other expert opinions making it more than just a TV viewing experience. How would YouTube compete with that one wonders.

Where the YouTube experience is going to come in is the availability factor. The sport fan does not have to depend on the TV channel to decide which games they think are important to show. This is especially important for viewers when concurrent games are played.

For instance for tennis fans the Australian Open viewing can be limited to one channel. When there are countless games being played at the same time on different courts, it is up to the TV broadcaster to decide which game could be the most interesting.

Where does the viewer’s preference fit into this? Isn’t this exactly the point that is going to kill off TV in preference to the internet? The choice is now up to the viewer as to what they would like to view, rather than having to put up with the TV editor’s choice.

How glorious would this make the Olympic Games viewing for instance. You could end up watching all of the competition in your particular field of interest, never mind how remote it is from other people’s interest.  Or compensating for the 15 hr time zone difference between Hanoi and Vancouver for instance.

All of the weight lifting? No problem. What about the archery or the shooting competitions. These are often neglected for such crowd pleasers as gymnastics or athletics. Yet there are millions interested in the smaller sports and most often they are the ones having to give way to the bigger viewer numbers. All for the sake of the most powerful advertising buck.

Enter the internet where everything can be streamed because numbers are not as important. It’s this choice that is going to be the problem for TV. Viewers will be giving up the battle for the remote. It’s no longer necessary. It’s all available. And as much as the IPL’s games will be shown live, the point is that they will be available to view again and again. At whatever time you want to. And as often as you wish.

And as for watching on a small computer screen. Those days are long over as well as all gadgets start to talk to each other. Plug the computer into your data projector and your game is played out on the biggest screen you can fit into your lounge.

Now all you need is that cute little robot to bring you a never ending supply of ice cold beers and you could consider yourself in sport watching heaven. TV will have to get very creative to counter this revolution.

Or else they will need to provide all games as well. Every single one. That would mean the women’s singles game could just have a chance of being shown as well, not just the men’s. And that at any time, and for ever. Good news that.

No amount of clever commentary and post or pre-match interviews will make good the fact that right now on TV in Vietnam I have only one choice of a game in the Australian Open. And it’s not the one I want to watch. Bring on live tennis on YouTube. Please Google!