The first NFL game on YouTube was a smashing success. How could it not be? A rare Friday night NFL contest featuring Taylor Swift’s new fiancé playing in the game. The contest was played in Brazil with the platform’s largest creators involved with the broadcast. The presentation was a blend of appealing to the younger end of the demo with the pregame, halftime, and postgame. The game broadcast was very traditional, with voices NFL fans were familiar with, and presented as a normal game broadcast.
A marriage between the NFL and YouTube was inevitable. More Americans are cutting the cord and searching out digital streaming options for entertainment than ever before. In fact, for the first time ever, every single NFL game this season will be available on one streaming platform or another. All 272 regular season games, with a total of 20 games this season only found on streaming platforms.
While major networks will complain about how audience measurement will be compiled for the contest, the fact is that YouTube captured both young and old with an NFL broadcast. All in the name of FREE, which sports radio has long forgotten is their biggest superpower.
No matter the size of your audience, the fact is you still have one. How you advertise your most important property on your platform will determine the success of it.
Using YouTube as the example, they provided a masterclass in how you should promote a content piece or program, providing a reminder to sports radio stations everywhere.
YouTube Took From Sports Radio
What YouTube did to ramp up excitement to their audience was have the promotion facing forward with, in big bold letters, the word FREE. MrBeast, YouTube’s largest creator, collaborated with the NFL on a video where he took over the ownership of the league. Other creators got involved in a three-minute storyline-driven advertisement marketing that the game is FREE on YouTube.
“For the first time ever, Chargers versus Chiefs will be live for FREE on YouTube,” said MrBeast. “Make sure you watch it. It’s literally FREE — why not?”
Hey sports radio, YouTube is taking away your best messaging!
The streaming platform used IShowSpeed, Tom Grossi, Skabeche, and RobeGrill for separate watch-along streams, leaning on their audiences to join the fun of watching an NFL game for FREE on YouTube. Each of those creators used their platforms on YouTube to promote those broadcasts, social media for tune-in, and collaborations with each other to promote.
All in the name of what YouTube historically has always been: FREE.
Isn’t that what sports radio is as well? When did the audio platforms fumble the ball on the most valuable marketing of all? The word FREE.
Strategy Matters
Programmers and talent may be rolling their eyes now as I’m comparing a global streaming platform to a local radio station. Sure, the audience size may be different, and radio stations aren’t owned by global search engines. The audience size may drastically differ, but the concept of the promotion remains the same.
Sports radio stations around the country have audiences through local transmission, social media, podcasting platforms. Some through streaming video channels such as YouTube, X, Twitch, and others. The opportunity to market your message on sports radio for tune-in has more potential for reach than a single streaming video platform does.
It’s all about the effort you put into it.
Are sports radio brands using their top talent for pre-roll videos on social platforms to cross-promote game day programming on their radio stations? Could sports radio brands that have the luxury of streaming on video platforms create graphics, rolling scrolls, and other digital ways to cross-promote game day programming during their live streams?
Radio brands charge top dollar for game day programming, even if you don’t have the rights for the broadcasts themselves. If the goal is maximum ROI, are sports radio brands putting in maximum effort?
Q4 is the time when sports radio brands make or break their year. Planning begins the minute the Super Bowl ends, and sales teams roll out throughout the spring and summer to secure advertising dollars for the timeframe. YouTube is no different than your local sports radio brand.
Game day is officially here for sports radio brands. The weekly storylines carry your weekly local programming. Football fans are heavily interested in hearing conversation or review and preview for the next contest.
Every new week provides sports radio brands a daily opportunity to remind your audience to come to you on game day. When everything else costs money, your content doesn’t on game day.
It’s far beyond time for sports radio to take the ball back and begin a new drive toward gaining audience, advertising revenue, and improving the overall promotional experience.
All in the name of FREE. Happy football season!
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
I got all excited reading the article and enjoying the video. is it really that simple? I was freaking out trying to get a streaming service I could watch some games on without breaking the bank! #Go Bucs #TampaBay Football how far do you go and not get oversaturated?