Friday Night’s a great night for Football! If you get the reference, you might be old. Tonight YouTube will host an NFL regular-season game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the LA Chargers. The game, which will be available on the NFL YouTube Channel, will mark an important milestone for the league and the free streaming platform.
YouTube is already the home of the NFL Sunday Ticket, but that is a premium streaming service with a hefty price tag. Tonight’s game is free to stream on the free YouTube app and website for all to see.
The question is whether YouTube is up to the challenge. For the league is another step in its apparent goal to be everywhere. The NFL already streams on Peacock, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Fox One and the ESPN app via ABC. As the new world of streaming evolves, fans should expect to see it in more places, both free and paid, as long as it makes money. The New York Times is reporting that YouTube will be charging $30 for every 1,000 viewers during commercial spots during the game. Sunday Night Football on NBC averaged 21.6 million viewers in 2024. The game will be available globally, though country-based streaming rights may affect availability depending on the market.
So settle down and enjoy.
