The Old Playbook is Dead
Spain did it with Ibai Llanos. France with rugby podcasters. Now the Bundesliga joins in—proving creators are becoming sports’ next distribution channel.
For decades, billion-dollar TV deals with legacy networks have defined how fans watched sports.
The Bundesliga just flipped that on its head.
The German league granted British YouTuber Mark Goldbridge the rights to stream 20 live Bundesliga matches on his That's Football YouTube channel.
Goldbridge is rewriting the blueprint for how sports leagues will reach the next generation.
Now is the time to rethink sports broadcasting. Traditional deals cater to aging audiences and feel increasingly outdated.
Gen Z consumes sports unlike any previous generation—they watch highlights, clips, streams, and in-depth analysis.
Creators already control massive, loyal audiences through their quick clips, virality, and authenticity. Young fans want to see crossovers between their favorite creators and sports.
These creators are the gatekeepers to these young fans—audiences that every league needs.
The real question: who controls the next generation of fans—the networks, or the creators?
By handing UK rights to Goldbridge and The Overlap—a YouTube show led by Premier League legends—the Bundesliga marked an inflection point: content creators are now recognized as distribution partners.
This is a brave decision by a league that has shown signs of falling behind.
This changes the future of distribution. The Bundesliga's decision to grant rights to Goldbridge, specifically a man with no background in competitive playing, marks an inflection point, officially recognizing content creators as distribution partners.
And it makes sense.
Goldbridge's raw, fan-first style comes through in his angry rants and emotional meltdowns, making him relatable. That authenticity has built a massive, young audience that the Bundesliga can now tap into.
This is the decentralization of distribution. The Bundesliga maintains its traditional TV contracts while gaining grassroots credibility amongst younger audiences through diversified distribution. They're hedging against the decline of conventional TV audiences while simultaneously betting on the future.
This isn't new.
Spain's La Liga has previously worked with Spanish Twitch star Ibai Llanos to stream a game.
Earlier this year, Tim Crocker, host of the Eggchasers Rugby Podcast, acquired the media rights to France's D2 Rugby, the country's second-tier rugby division. This marked the first time a league sold rights directly to a creator.
As streaming fragments, creators become both a hedge against declining TV audiences and an accelerator of growth with Gen Z.
It's why more leagues will test this theory, carving out rights packages for niche creators who can leverage youthful audiences to grow their reach.
And it's not just limited to football. Plenty of Twitch streamers would jump at the opportunity to stream an NBA game. Imagine IShowSpeed streaming an MLS or Champions League match—that's where this is headed.
Creators are reshaping the path from casual viewer to lifelong fan. Traditional distribution is fading fast, and leagues must start planning for the next era before it's too late.