The news: YouTube has won the exclusive rights to broadcast the first game of the 2025 National Football League (NFL) season on September 5, per an NFL post.

• The game will stream for free and be available to all YouTube and YouTube TV users worldwide, except those in Canada and select other countries, according to the post.
• The broadcast marks the first time that an NFL game will be streamed on YouTube for free.

“Last year, people spent over 350 million hours watching official NFL content on YouTube,” per Mary Ellen Coe, YouTube’s chief business officer. The game will “[be done] in a way that only YouTube can, with an interactive viewing experience and creators right at the center of the experience.”