The National Football League (NFL) made a huge move by teaming up with YouTube sensation MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson. The international season opener between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil was streamed on MrBeast’s channel, showing how sports and online creators can come together in innovative new ways. This partnership highlights the ways that sports entertainment is transitioning from TV broadcasts to social media platforms, focusing more on trying to reach younger audiences through YouTube rather than the big game itself.
The NFL game was exclusively streamed live and free for all to watch globally on YouTube and YouTube TV without payment. The match took place at Corinthians Arena (Neo Química Arena) in São Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, Sept. 5. Even though it was free globally in many places, there were some regional restrictions due to existing rights deals.
For the NFL, this collaboration was a chance to connect with Generation Z and people who don’t watch football on television. MrBeast, who has about 440 million subscribers on YouTube and drew more than 17.3 million concurrent viewers during the NFL livestream, attracted a huge audience. Many fans who may not have cared about the NFL game tuned in because the collaboration made it feel new and exciting.
According to statistics by Sportico, the NFL game streamed on YouTube, featuring content from MrBeast, averaged 16.2 million United States (U.S.) viewers. Another 1.1 million people watched from outside America, accounting for more than 230 countries and territories, which brought global viewership up to 17.3 million. The viewership numbers put YouTube’s debut roughly in line with Entertainment and Sports Programming Network’s (ESPN) average Monday Night Football contest from last year, and above what Peacock –another streaming platform– drew for the first game from Brazil during Week 1 of the NFL season a year ago (14.2 million). Netflix’s pair of Christmas games last December remains the most-streamed in NFL history, averaging about 24 million.
This collaboration was not just about football, but also about how content and entertainment are changing in new ways. By bringing in one of the biggest creators on YouTube, the NFL proved that professional sports can mix with online culture in a way that feels modern and unexpected. It was more than just an NFL football game; it was an event that trended online, sparked conversations, and attracted interest from people who normally would not tune in.
