Introduction to YouTube’s NFL Streaming

YouTube will be streaming an exclusive NFL game in its entirety for free worldwide for the first time ever. After becoming the official home of NFL Sunday Ticket, YouTube has been pushing to expand its reach in the high-stakes, multibillion-dollar world of NFL coverage and broadcast rights.

YouTube’s Partnership with the NFL

The Google-owned streaming company has secured the rights to broadcast one of the NFL’s opening week games on Friday, September 5, live from Brazil. The São Paulo spectacle will take place the day after the Thursday night NFL KickOff game between the Eagles and the Cowboys. The 2025 NFL regular season will feature seven international games, a record for the league.

Expansion of NFL Coverage

In an effort to enhance its NFL coverage, YouTube’s chief business officer, Mary Ellen Choe, stated, "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 center of the experience."

Comparison with Other Streaming Services

Last year, fellow streaming giant Netflix streamed its first NFL games on Christmas Day as part of a three-year deal with the league, though Netflix doesn’t have a NFL-specific product to sell its customers like YouTube has with NFL Sunday Ticket.

The Reach of NFL Games on YouTube

In the press release announcing YouTube’s coverage of Week 1 from Brazil, Mary Ellen Choe discussed the reach of NFL games on YouTube, saying, "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."

Expanded Partnership Between YouTube and the NFL

This expanded partnership comes against the backdrop of other team-ups between YouTube and the NFL aside from NFL Sunday Ticket, namely a multi-year deal for the annual Super Bowl Flag Football game as well as additional international flag football games.

Broadcast Rights and Costs

The exact cost for the broadcast rights to the Brazil game is not known at this time, though it’s known that YouTube is paying over $2 billion per year over a seven-year deal for NFL Sunday Ticket.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-will-exclusively-stream-an-nfl-game-for-free-191519460.html?src=rss