For a moment, the 50-yard line at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was the media capital of the world. As the San Francisco 49ers were warming up for a Sept. 21 game against the Arizona Cardinals, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell caught the eye of Neal Mohan. The YouTube CEO, flanked by a handful of his platform’s top creators, marched onto the field and embraced Goodell.
About an hour or so after their meeting on the field, the moguls addressed creators and guests in a suite. “We want to continue to double down on that partnership you saw,” the YouTube chief said, referring to the first exclusive NFL game that YouTube hosted live, the Sept. 5 contest between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, which they played in Brazil.
“More to come, right?” Goodell quipped in response.
“Well, that’s up for you to decide,” Mohan replied.
When asked a few minutes later whether that means YouTube is in a strong position to carry exclusive NFL games going forward, Goodell was unequivocal. “Absolutely,” he said.
But as big a deal as YouTube becoming a league broadcast partner would be (on top of its existing $2 billion deal for NFL Sunday Ticket), the platform’s scale and cultural relevance were also on display in Santa Clara. Even with the 49ers on the field, a large group of kids on a rope line near the stands were screaming for one of the creators that had joined Mohan, sports influencer Jesse “Jesser” Riedel, as parents jockeyed to get them closer for a photo or autograph.
“It’s a blessing,” Jesser said modestly after heading back into a tunnel under the stands, away from the roar of the crowd. The kids were there for the 49ers, but a YouTuber stole the show.
Photographed by Jake Chessum
***
During the past 20 years, the Google-owned YouTube has slowly — then rapidly — become a dominant force in media, the hub for a wide array of genres, from talk and comedy to food and unscripted fare. But the bigger prize for the video platform would be to take over the other hours people are spending on their TV sets, and there are signs that YouTube is close to a breakthrough there.
... continue reading