U2's sold-out concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California on Sunday night is to be streamed live on YouTube, the band has announced.
The broadcast, which begins at 3.30am Irish time, is a pivotal step in You Tube's attempt to boost advertising revenue by moving beyond hosting short video clips into streaming full length movies, television programmes and concerts.
It is seen by the band as an opportunity to widen its potential audience base as this year's US tour begins to wind down. "As we're filming the LA show, it's the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium," U2 manager Paul McGuinness said, making the announcement last night.
"Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 — this time U2 can go to them, globally," he added.
The concert will be available in 16 countries including the US, Ireland, Britain, Japan and Australia. Fans will be allowed to comment on the concert in real time through a Twitter feed and will also be encouraged to make donations to Bono's Red charity during the performance.
While YouTube, which is owned by Google, has hosted a growing number of live broadcasts over the last 12 months, most notably when will.i.am and Katy Perry headlined one of its YouTube Live shows, this is the first time it has streamed a concert by a major international act in its entirety.
It also started streaming Hollywood movies such as Cliffhanger to users in America and will offer a catch-up service for Channel 4's programmes beginning early in 2010.
Advertising space will be available on archived footage of the U2 concert but a YouTube spokesman said it has yet to be determined whether ads will be displayed during Sunday night's concert.
“YouTube is thrilled to be able to provide our global audience with a live streaming performance from one of the world’s greatest bands” — YouTube's Music Manager Michele Flannery. “We are always looking for new ways to connect fans around the world with their favourite artists, and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”
You Tube said it is confident it will be able to handle the millions of fans who are expected to log on to see the concert. For Irish fans no inclined to set their alarms for 3.30am, Two repeat showings will be broadcast immediately after the main event finishes on Monday morning.
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