YouTube cozies closer to the NFL, replacing TikTok as Super Bowl tailgate sponsor

YouTube is getting even cozier with the NFL. The platform and league have a longstanding relationship that’s accelerated in recent years, with YouTube snapping up a decade’s worth of rights to NFL Sunday Ticket–and, just this week, announcing the launch of Access Pass for Legends, which aims to put former NFL players on the fast-track to becoming “media moguls” on YouTube.

Now, YouTube is taking over from TikTok as the official sponsor for the NFL’s pre-Super Bowl event, the Tailgate Concert.

It’ll produce the two-and-a-half-hour pregame “just steps away” from the Caesars Superdome, where the Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles–and the whole thing will be broadcast live from the NFL’s YouTube channel.

The Tailgate Concert began as an annual tradition back in 2021, when the NFL–like pretty much everyone else–was looking for a long-distance way to keep fans connected. TikTok was the event’s principal sponsor in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and it tapped music artists like Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Jason Derulo, The Chainsmokers, and The Black Keys to headline.

But this year, TikTok’s on the rocks. It’s still technically allowed in the U.S., but only thanks to a temporary ban extension from Donald Trump. The Trump administration is currently focusing on other things, so TikTok is flying under the radar–but that lapse may not last, so we’re not surprised the NFL looked elsewhere for a sponsor.

We’re also not surprised it chose YouTube, since–as we mentioned above–the pair have a long and storied relationship. Now, with Sunday Ticket and Access Pass, they’re working together more closely than ever. Roger Goodell, the NFL’s commissioner, even appeared as a guest at Brandcast, the annual event where YouTube touts all the accomplishments marketers might want to hear.

YouTube has tapped Post Malone to headline this year’s concert, and scheduled segments from YouTubers Kristy and Desmond Scott, Chanen and Juwan Johnson, Monet McMichael, and Carter Kench.

Malone, who’s known for his wide variety of collabs with video games, fashion brands, food companies, and more, also has a sizable YouTube presence (nearly 30 million subscribers), and will also be a headliner at this year’s Coachella, another event where YouTube has major involvement.

“This year’s Super Bowl LIX YouTube Tailgate Concert marks a significant moment, as YouTube takes over as the official sponsor of this fan-favorite pregame event, providing an experience that amplifies the energy and excitement of the Super Bowl,” the NFL said in an official league blog post. “This partnership is a natural fit, given YouTube’s commitment to supporting the creator and artist communities, its global reach, and the company’s dedication to delivering unparalleled entertainment that brings fans around the world closer to the events they love.”

As Deadline points out, YouTube introduced “multi-view” tech last year that will let viewers watch multiple stages in the same stream, so that may come into play here, and may give YouTube an edge over TikTok as presenter.

It’s possible that, if TikTok doesn’t get banned, the NFL will go back to it as the Tailgate Concert’s sponsor next year. But with all the ties between YouTube and the NFL, we’re thinking if this year’s stream goes well, it’ll probably become part of YouTube’s live event portfolio moving forward.