YouTube took part in the game on its first exclusive NFL broadcast on September 5th. It says it has attracted an average global audience of over 17.3 million people on the Google-owned platform.
That statistics were based on the average audience (AMA) of Friday’s showdown between the Chiefs in Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
According to YouTube, data compiled by Nielsen and YouTube showed that YouTube and all other distribution platforms in the US included 16.2 million AMAs, while YouTube’s own figures included 1.1 million AMAs outside the US.
For reference, in January 2025, Amazon reported that it was streaming NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video. According to Nielsen, it reported an average of 13.2 million US viewers per game in the 2024 season. This was an 11% increase to 1,186 million last season, and an average of 9.58 million in the first season of 2021.
And on Netflix, the Chief Szooler and Ravens Texans games have an average of 30 million global audiences and 31.3 million global audiences on Christmas Day, respectively. According to Nielsen’s Big Data + panel, these two games totaled an average of 26.5 million US viewers.
According to the video platform, the YouTube livestream of the game on September 5th reached global audiences across more than 230 countries as the Chargers defeated the Chiefs with a score of 27-21.
YouTube’s free NFL live stream served as a means to promote exclusive retail rights to Sunday tickets in the US. Currently, YouTube is charging $276 for access to tickets for the full season Sunday, or $85 per month on a monthly plan. YouTube has won Sunday tickets (previously offered by DirectV) on a seven-year Sunday ticket contract that Google reportedly pays more than $2 billion in the NFL per year.
Hosted by YouTube creators Kay Adams and Peter Overzet, the Chiefs Chargers pre-game show, along with NFL Vets Cam Newton, Derek Carr, Brandon Marshall and Tyrann Mathieu, has averaged 2.4 million US viewers according to Nielsen.
During the game, YouTube debuted new content from creators such as Mrbeast, Haley Kalil, Michelle Khare, and Marques Brownlee, hosting Karol G as a performer for the Halftime Show.
The YouTube main show broadcast was hosted by Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, Stacey Dales, Terry McAulay and former YouTube creator and former professional football kicker Deestroing. The main Spanish broadcast was hosted by Rene Girardo and Edgar Lopez.
YouTube also provided an alternative live stream in English to the main game broadcast hosted by UK Ishhospeed and Tom Grossi. By the Spanish languages Robegrill and Skabeche. And by Cazétv for local Brazilian audiences and other Portuguese-speaking viewers.
