Google is pretty open with content providers on YouTube—the one exception is that it requires them to use the YouTube player and hosting service, which limits its negotiating power with media companies that have existing deals with other tech providers. But NewTeeVee notes that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has finally relented on this rule: it's letting CBS use Microsoft's Silverlight player to power its live-streamed March Madness games on YouTube.
While there's no way to tell whether this is indicative of an overall policy change, or just a testament to YouTube's long-standing relationship with CBS (NYSE: CBS), it's definitely a trend to watch. Also worth noting is that there's no Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) branding anywhere, and that Silverlight is only hosting the live games; archived videos still appear to be hosted by YouTube.
It seems like a win-win-win for all three parties involved, with one exception: there's nothing pointing users to CBS' March Madness channel on the YouTube homepage. Not a takeover, not a featured video, or even a banner ad. There's also no mention of it on CBS' March Madness on Demand site itself.
Staci adds: So far this appears to be the only example of a full-page embedded player for MMOD; other sites, including those CBS owns, redirect to http://mmod.ncaa.com/video and usually involve a new page or a pop-up.
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