With YouTube‘s NFL Sunday Ticket deal set to kick off in September, ESPN is making a big bet on a prominent football influencer. The Worldwide Leader in Sports has inked a partnership with Pat McAfee, the ex-NFL punter who now hosts an eponymous show that hits YouTube each weekday.
The Pat McAfee Show is co-hosted by McAfee and other former football pros, including A.J. Hawk and Darius Butler. With his bold attitude and sense of humor, McAfee has become a hit with sports fans on YouTube, reaching 2.2 million subscribers. His show has also been bolstered by Hawk’s longtime teammate Aaron Rodgers, who has made regular (and sometimes contentious) appearances on the show.
McAfee has already worked with ESPN, serving as a commentator for college football and a pre-game analyst. He will extend his relationship with the Disney-owned brand by airing The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, the ESPN+ streaming hub, and the ESPN YouTube channel.
Despite the new distribution plan, McAfee reassured his fans that his talk show would maintain its signature edge. “We ain’t changing a damn thing,” the tanktop aficionado said in a Twitter video.
“Pat is a proven talent. He and his team have built The Pat McAfee Show into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a statement. “It’s a destination for athlete interviews and breaking news, and the centerpiece of a growing community of sports fans. We’re honored to bring Pat and the show to ESPN through a multifaceted, multiplatform approach.”
McAfee previously worked with several other media brands, including Barstool Sports. His ESPN deal will bring an end to a $30 million-per-year gig with the sports betting company FanDuel.
As one of the leading football personalities on YouTube, McAfee has been able to capitalize on a surge of interest created by the impending NFL Sunday Ticket deal. In order to make the most of its coveted programming package, YouTube has whipped its community into a football frenzy by fostering collaborations between creators and the NFL. During the first week of May, 11 NFL-sponsored YouTube videos collected at least 50,000 views.
By coming to terms with McAfee, ESPN is showing that it can also take advantage of the increasing gridiron appetite on YouTube. More broadly, The Pat McAfee Show fits into the sports network’s digital strategy. In the basketball world, ESPN has partnered with Omar Raja, the founder of the House of Highlights brand. Raja’s ESPN-affiliated YouTube Shorts hub regularly ranks among the most-watched channels in the world.
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