Who is IShowSpeed? Meet the YouTube creators tapped to give NFL fans an alternate stream

Who are the YouTube creators streaming during the NFL game Friday night? YouTube will make its debut tonight as an NFL broadcast partner, the first time an NFL game has ever aired directly through YouTube, the world’s largest and most popular video platform. In addition to the standard broadcast — produced by NBC with Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner on the call — YouTube will lean heavily into its DNA as a home for creators. Four “Watch With” streams will be available during the game, alternate game broadcasts featuring creators commenting directly to fans about the game on their screens. While “watch-along”-style programming is prevalent among creators, from YouTube to Twitch to NBA-focused Playback, the most prominent linear TV example is Peyton and Eli Manning watching select weeks of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” as part of a show called “ManningCast.” The four creators tapped to offer “Watch With” streams combine to reach more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, led by the globally popular “IShowSpeed” (real name Darren Watkins), who alone accounts for 43 million subscribers. (This week’s edition of The Athletic’s sports business newsletter, MoneyCall, predicted at least 10 million viewers watching with IShowSpeed alone.) What You Should Read Next
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