YouTube has won the global rights to air the National Football League’s (NFL) regular season game in Brazil and will stream the matchup for free in the US and around the world.
The week one clash at Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo will be the first NFL fixture to be offered for free in its entirety on YouTube, with the Google-owned platform recouping the cost of the rights through advertising.
The league held its first fixture in Brazil last year, with NBC’s Peacock streaming service securing the exclusive streaming rights. This year’s game will feature the Los Angeles Chargers and an as-yet-unnamed opponent at the same stadium on 5th September.
Like last year, the game will be available over-the-air (OTA) in the participating team’s local markets, in keeping with the NFL’s longstanding policy, as well as on the NFL+ mobile app and via NFL Game Pass International on DAZN. Other countries, including Canada are excepted from the arrangement.
As part of the deal, YouTube will also air the annual celebrity Super Bowl Flag Football game as part of a multi-year arrangement. Google’s YouTube TV multi-video channel programming distributor (MVPD) platform is the exclusive broadcaster of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket out-of-market package and is believed to be paying between US$2 billion and US$2.5 billion for the privilege.
“We are excited to expand our relationship with YouTube to bring this year’s Brazil game to a worldwide audience,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution. “YouTube and YouTube TV have been incredible partners of the NFL for several years and boast an immense global reach, and we look forward to week one in São Paulo.”
“Last year, people spent over 350 million hours watching official NFL content on YouTube, so it’s both fitting and thrilling to continue to build our relationship with our partners at the NFL,” added Mary Ellen Coe, chief business officer at YouTube. “Streaming the Friday night game to fans for free around the world will mark YouTube’s first time as a live NFL broadcaster – and we’ll do it in a way that only YouTube can, with an interactive viewing experience and creators right at the centre of the experience.”
The league also has deals worth more than US$110 billion with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC, while it has carved out several streaming-specific packages in recent years. Netflix has the rights to at least two games on Christmas Day, Amazon has an additional Black Friday game and is the current rightsholder to a streaming-exclusive play-off game previously held by Peacock. NFL Network also airs some international series games.
SportsPro says…
The NFL’s recent genius has been carving out new packages of games from its existing inventory to generate more revenue without alienating its existing partners. So far it has achieved this delicate balancing act, with international fixtures an obvious candidate given how distinct they are from the regular schedule.
One of the reasons the NFL has been so interested in partnering with streaming services is to reach younger viewers, thereby expanding, diversifying and futureproofing its fanbase. If confirmed, this deal would amplify those efforts.
Although Netflix and Amazon are popular among younger fans, both require subscriptions which could potentially limit the audience. By working with YouTube and eliminating a paywall, the NFL will have the opportunity to see just how many people it can engage on the world’s most popular video platform when there are no barriers at all.
Then there is the global element. Although the NFL has broadcast deals around the world and Netflix’s Christmas Day games are available worldwide, having a live, free game on a platform with unparalleled reach will be a huge opportunity.
Source: https://www.sportspro.com/news/nfl-youtube-streaming-brazil-sao-paulo-la-chargers-may-2025/
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