YouTube Unveils Broadcasters For Platform’s First-Ever Live NFL Game

CHINA – 2023/08/31: In this photo illustration, the YouTube logo is displayed in the Apple App Store on an iPhone. (Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On Tuesday, YouTube announced the broadcast talent for its first-ever live NFL game. The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs will meet at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 5.

Sports media veteran Rich Eisen, who is expected to once again appear on ESPN platforms following the company’s recent acquisition of NFL Network, will serve as the play by play caller for the Week 1 matchup. It’s the NFL’s second consecutive year playing a regular season game in Brazil.

Eisen will be joined by analyst and Super Bowl XXXIV champion Kurt Warner. Stacey Dales and YouTuber Donald De La Haye, who is also known as Deestroying, will both serve as sideline reporters for the free exclusive broadcast on the video platform, which has experienced a rise in recent years as a sports programming destination for media networks, leagues and teams.

Deestroying, a former player at Central Florida, boasts more than 6.3 million subscribers on YouTube where he’s documented his journey of trying to become an NFL kicker. He played for the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas over the last two seasons but was plagued by recurring injuries. Rules expert Terry McAulay will also join the YouTube broadcast.

Meanwhile, sports media personality Kay Adams, who hosts the daily “Up & Adams Show” on FanDuel TV, will host the on-site show in Brazil with Heisman Trophy winner and analyst Cam Newton, a three-time Pro Bowler and NFL Most Valuable Player in 2015.

At the NFL Network’s studios in Los Angeles, Brandon Marshall — a six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver across 13 seasons in the NFL — will moderate the conversation around the game in South America. He will be joined by analysts Derek Carr, who retired in May after an 11-year career mostly with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Tyrann Mathieu, a former standout defensive back at LSU and Super Bowl champion.

Fantasy football analyst Peter Overzet will also provide commentary and analysis for the regular season game, which will feature Colombia singer Karol G as the halftime performer during the first-ever live NFL game on YouTube.