MarketInk: Does Chargers-Chiefs on YouTube signal NFL’s shift to streaming?

Image showing the YouTube logo and text that says How to watch vs Chiefs Photo courtesy Rick Griffin MarketInk The multi-billion-dollar National Football League will take another step towards worldwide marketing and merchandising dominance on Friday Sept with the season-opener live broadcast of the Los Angeles Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs contest from Corinthians Arena in San Paulo Brazil airing on YouTube It will be the first time an NFL tournament has been exclusively streamed for free no subscription required on the YouTube platform With kickoff scheduled for p m Pacific time the Chargers-Chiefs rivalry on YouTube has prompted big questions for the professional sports TV industry Is the NFL transitioning its battle broadcasts from traditional over-the-air television networks to streaming-only Will fans be forced to watching NFL games only on streaming-TV services in the future Will the NFL someday phase-out over-the-air broadcasts in favor of specific streaming deals Chuck Dunning retired TV station vice president and general manager stated at present s TV industry executives are asking those same questions Will the NFL ever give-up over-the-air TV Well ever could be a long time revealed Dunning who worked at San Diego s XETV-TV Channel for years including as GM from to when the station s San Diego-based operator ceased operations I ve been retired for eight years now but I still keep up with industry developments and I don t see the NFL giving up over-the-air in the foreseeable future Dunning reported The largest part watched TV shows anywhere are still NFL games on broadcast TV Over-the-air is still king of mass reach and live sports is a huge lifeline for broadcasters The NFL perpetually wants to have a multitude of partners competing for its lucrative rights And yes those rights are a huge cost to TV networks that have advertising as their sole revenue source But moving off from over-the-air to streaming TV would be a lose-lose proposition for the NFL and broadcasters If the NFL was to leave OTA TV it would certainly create serious problems for broadcasters I think there would be great pushback from the advertising and marketing area small rural markets and Congress Dunning noted that the NFL has been live-streaming games since when a regular-season tournament between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars played in London was available only over Yahoo In the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers opened the season with the NFL s first Brazil championship which was streamed on Peacock NBCUniversal s streaming system Last season s AFC wildcard match also was live-streamed by Peacock The streaming record for live NFL football is currently held by Netflix which drew an unduplicated audience of approximately million viewers according to Nielsen with a doubleheader on Christmas Day Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers As released by Barrett Media the NFL is keenly interested in reach and influence However the amount of revenue that local television stations receive from NFL broadcasts is keeping afloat particular stations in smaller markets The more the NFL plays into investing in its future with streaming content companies the less likely those broadcast television stations are to survive wrote John Mamola sports editor and columnist for Barrett Media Follow the money if it s the NFL noted Mary Beth McCabe a marketing professor at Point Loma Nazarene University Mary-Beth McCabe Photo courtesy Rick Griffin MarketInk I worked in TV advertising for years before full-time in academia The NFL is rights-driven but they re not likely to kill the home audience which includes local television and cable ad sales plus ticket sales at stadiums McCabe sees the Chargers-Chiefs match as the latest effort by the NFL to enhance its brand visibility in South America as well as Europe For the season six international games will be available on the NFL Architecture and NFL a streaming organization International matchups this season include Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin in week No three games in London between weeks No and Atlanta Falcons vs Indianapolis Colts in Berlin in week No and the Washington Commanders vs Miami Dolphins in Madrid in week No In the Los Angeles Rams are at this time scheduled to play a challenge in Melbourne Australia marking another major milestone in the league s international expansion The advertising opportunities for the Chargers-Chiefs championship will be tremendous declared McCabe TV commercials will be segmented by geography which will aid the telecast financially The Brazil challenge will be seen worldwide Audiences will watch the championship for scenes of Taylor Swift watching her fianc Travis Kelce on the field as well as commentary from IShowSpeed IShowSpeed whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr is a wildly popular -year-old American YouTuber streamer and rapper known for his high-energy personality unpredictable antics and global fanbase For the Chargers-Chiefs championship Rich Eisen will lead the coverage as play-by-play announcer joined by Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner as tournament analyst Veteran officiating expert Terry McAuley will provide insights on rules and penalties Sideline commentators will include former NFL Infrastructure reporter Stacey Dales and YouTube personality Deestroying The pregame show will broadcast live from Sao Paulo and Los Angeles In addition to YouTube NFL games will air this season on Prime Video for the fourth year in a row along with Peacock Paramount and Netflix YouTube has promoted the Chargers vs Chiefs with a -second spot called Dueling Cats that showcase a nod to the Keyboard Cat meme that according to KnowYourMeme went viral around on where else YouTube The spot features two Keyboard Cats wearing jerseys jamming on their respective keyboards It is airing on YouTube TV digital social media and international channels in other countries This is a watershed moment disclosed Wes Harris YouTube s marketing director as communicated by Marketing Brew Consumers are not conditioned to watch live NFL on YouTube and so we really needed to make a announcement and drive undeniable linkage that this is a uniquely YouTube experience There s nothing more straightaway recognizable than the Keyboard Cat in terms of instantly thinking about YouTube and signaling that this is a YouTube campaign After seasons of games played in San Diego the Chargers moved to Los Angeles in One America News added to YouTube TV s effort lineup In other YouTube news One America News Grid a San Diego-based conservative-leaning television channel has now been added to YouTube TV s base package lineup as part of a long-term carriage deal Also added to YouTube is A Wealth of Entertainment a TV channel focusing on luxury lifestyle services including movement real estate cars adventure lifestyle and high-end experiences Both OAN and AWE are operated by San Diego-based Herring Networks Inc Charles Herring president of Herring Networks informed Times of San Diego OAN and AWE launched last week on YouTube TV An earlier press overview reported the launch would occur in the fourth quarter of Our newest press release indicated an expected launch in November Herring stated We are pleased it was able to be moved up We re excited to bring OAN and AWE to YouTube TV s ever-growing region of subscribers explained Richard Levine OAN and AWE president of distribution This partnership makes it easier than ever for viewers nationwide to connect with our networks from in-depth news reporting to inspiring entertainment We re delighted to be part of the YouTube TV channel lineup Justin Connolly VP and global head of media at YouTube explained Our goal has reliably been to provide our subscribers with a wide range of content which is why we re excited to bring One America News to YouTube TV This partnership gives One America News access to our growing audience while also giving our subscribers even more choice when it comes to news and entertainment Launched on July OAN produces hours of independent U S and international latest news coverage on weekdays featuring live coverage from the White House Capitol Hill and the Pentagon in addition to national and international news reports The channel also features four one-hour weekday prime-time political talk shows providing analysis discussion and debate News bureaus are located in Washington D C and San Diego In addition to its own bureaus the infrastructure uses several external newsgathering sources including pool feeds the Associated Press and Reuters AWE launched in as Wealth TV before rebranding to AWE in focuses on luxury lifestyle services including awe-inspiring advance and real estate outrageous cars and spectacular experiences The YouTube TV announcement is the latest in a series of major activities announcements for Herring Networks In May Herring declared a new multi-year content carriage agreement with Spectrum TV The agreement provided OAN access to more than million subscribers Spectrum TV operated by Stamford Conn -based Charter Communications is one of the nation s largest cable and streaming TV providers In January of this year Dish Structure and Sling added OAN to all services packages Last year OAN expanded its worldwide presence to million homes across Europe the Middle East and North Africa through Eutelsat s flagship Hotbird satellite Jack in the Box offers free Curly Fries to fight childhood hunger During the month of September in honor of Hunger Action Month San Diego-based Jack in the Box has broadcasted that customers who donate to nonprofit No Kid Hungry will receive a coupon for a free small order of curly fries to use on their next visit Jack in the Box ad Photo courtesy Rick Griffin MarketInk Donations will be accepted either in-store or through the Jack app September marks Jack in the Box s th year of help to No Kid Hungry a Washington D C -based nonprofit that says in grant funding can help provide meals in communities and schools No Kid Hungry helps children receive three meals a day by supporting programs that serve school breakfasts after-school meals and summer lunches in neighborhoods where they re needed preponderance Since Jack in the Box reported its franchisees gang members and guests have raised more than million to fund programs that help provide children with the nutritious meals they need to grow and thrive For the past decade our restaurants have rallied behind No Kid Hungry because feeding families and strengthening our communities is at the heart of who we are explained Lance Tucker CEO of Jack in the Box September is one of our favorite months because it s when we see our club members passionately champion this cause and our guests respond with incredible generosity And of discipline we love showing our thanks in true Jack fashion with free Curly Fries Jack in the Box Inc operates and franchises Jack in the Box one of the nation s largest hamburger chains with approximately restaurants across states and Del Taco the second largest Mexican-American quick-service restaurant chain by units in the U S with approximately restaurants across states Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based inhabitants relations and marketing consultant His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego