YouTube wanted Jason Kelce for its Chiefs-Chargers broadcast from Brazil next Friday. ESPN wouldn’t let it happen.
The streaming platform approached the Monday Night Countdown analyst about joining its coverage, but the network declined to make him available, according to Front Office Sports. It’s part of a broader policy ESPN implemented months ago, preventing its talent from working NFL games on YouTube or Netflix.
It’s also part of a broader trend among legacy networks. Fox and ESPN are both keeping their NFL talent away from streaming platforms as companies like Google-backed YouTube and Netflix pursue more football rights in future negotiations. Last year, ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Laura Rutledge featured prominently on Netflix’s NFL coverage. Fox previously lent Greg Olsen to Netflix for last year’s Christmas games, but won’t be doing so this season.
In turn, YouTube has been forced to get creative without access to major network personalities. NBC is producing the broadcast, but YouTube is assembling its own talent roster. The platform tapped content creator Deestroying as a sideline reporter alongside NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner will handle the main broadcast, with Terry McAuley serving as rules analyst.
Kay Adams will anchor studio coverage alongside a mix of veteran personalities and recently retired players, including Cam Newton, Derek Carr, Brandon Marshall, and Tyrann Mathieu. Both Carr and Mathieu just finished their NFL careers this past season with the New Orleans Saints.
Meanwhile, iShowSpeed will host a “Watch With” co-stream for his 43 million subscribers.
The Sept. 6 game between the Chargers and Chiefs streams free globally on YouTube and represents the platform’s first exclusive NFL regular season broadcast. Kelce made sense for that broadcast because he already has established YouTube partnerships, and his brother plays for Kansas City. But ESPN’s protective stance means the platform will have to prove itself without traditional television’s biggest names.
And while YouTube initially tried to replicate traditional TV, it’s building an NFL broadcast that feels native to its platform.