YouTube’s inaugural exclusive NFL broadcast, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers from São Paulo, Brazil, on September 5, attracted a global Average-Minute-Audience (AMA) of 17.3 million viewers, according to data released by the platform.

The global viewership figure includes 16.2 million AMA in the United States (according to Nielsen and YouTube data) and 1.1 million AMA outside the U.S. (according to YouTube’s internal metrics). The broadcast reached viewers in more than 230 countries and territories worldwide.

This viewership represents an approximately 14% increase compared to last year’s opening week Friday night game, which drew 14 million viewers. For context, Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video averaged 13.2 million U.S. viewers per game for the 2024 season.

The main broadcast featured Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, Stacey Dales, and Terry McAulay, with YouTube creator and former pro football kicker Deestroying (Donald De La Haye) contributing from the sidelines. The pregame show, hosted by YouTube creators Kay Adams and Peter Overzet, along with NFL veterans Cam Newton, Derek Carr, Brandon Marshall, and Tyrann Mathieu, averaged 2.4 million U.S. viewers according to Nielsen.

The post-game show, hosted by Adams and Newton, attracted 5.9 million viewers. The game itself ended with the Chargers defeating the Chiefs 27-21.

Creator Integration

YouTube incorporated popular creators throughout the broadcast, including exclusive content from MrBeast, Haley Kalil, Michelle Khare, and Marques Brownlee. Colombian artist KAROL G performed during the halftime show.

The platform also offered alternate livestreams hosted by creators iShowSpeed and Tom Grossi in English, Robegrill and SKabeche in Spanish, and CazéTV for Portuguese-speaking audiences, particularly targeting viewers in Brazil.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell described the event as “the most accessible game in NFL history” in a pre-match press release, highlighting the integration of popular creators to enhance the viewing experience.

Strategic Implications

The broadcast served as a promotional vehicle for YouTube’s exclusive retail rights to NFL Sunday Ticket in the U.S., which provides access to all out-of-market Sunday regular-season NFL games broadcast on CBS and Fox. YouTube acquired these rights starting with the 2023 season in a seven-year deal reportedly worth over $2 billion annually.

According to Nielsen, streaming now accounts for nearly half of all TV viewing, with YouTube alone representing more than 13% of total TV consumption in the U.S.

NFL content generated more than 350 million viewing hours on YouTube in 2024, with the league’s official channel surpassing 14+ million subscribers.

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