YouTube rolling out YouTube Live streaming beta platform to partners

Google's online video site wants to help more companies livestream their events to its users.

Google's YouTube service is getting into live-streaming video in a big way, announcing the beta launch of its YouTube Live platform for key content partners.

YouTube has livestreamed several gigs, sporting events and celebrity interviews in the last year, but YouTube Live is its full-scale move into a market previously restricted to startups like Ustream and Livestream.

In a blog post, product manager Joshua Siegel describes plans to "start gradually rolling out our live streaming beta platform, which will allow certain YouTube partners with accounts in good standing to stream live content on YouTube".

He hopes thousands of partners will take advantage in the months ahead, and has launched a new YouTube Live page on the YouTube site to highlight upcoming live events.

"Subscribe to your favorite YouTube live-streaming partners to be notified of upcoming live streams on your customized homepage," explains Siegel. The new platform has potential for music artists, online broadcasters and a host of other brands and media. For example, the India Times is broadcasting Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket using the platform.