YouTube's Initial NFL Appearance, Featuring MrBeast, Attracts 16.2 Million Viewers in the U.S.

In a significant move for the sports and streaming worlds, YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, recently broadcast its first exclusive live global NFL game. The contest, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, drew in a impressive audience of 17.3 million viewers worldwide.

The game, which included English-language co-streams by creators IShowSpeed and Tom Grossi, marked YouTube's inaugural foray into live global NFL broadcasts. This event, held under the partnership between YouTube and the NFL in a seven-year, $14 billion tie-up, could pave the way for more collaborations in the future.

The game's viewership put YouTube's debut on par with ESPN's average Monday Night Football contest from last year. Moreover, it surpassed the viewership that Peacock drew for the first game from Brazil during Week 1 a year ago.

Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner served as commentators for the game, with additional elements added by YouTube. A notable addition was a MrBeast-led video segment and a custom field goal post blast by MrBeast at the end of the game. An NFL-posted clip of this unique blast garnered 2 million views on TikTok.

MrBeast, with about 432 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, currently has a larger following than the NFL's main YouTube channel. Interestingly, the NFL has added nearly 500,000 subscribers to its main YouTube channel over the last week, possibly due to the buzz surrounding the YouTube broadcast.

However, the NFL has expressed some dissatisfaction with the way Nielsen reports numbers in today's streaming world, particularly in relation to YouTube's ratings for its game. Despite this, the success of YouTube's NFL debut suggests a promising future for streaming sports events.