France’s Pro D2 rugby has sold its broadcast rights in the U.K. and Ireland to Tim Cocker, a YouTuber who previously broadcasted rugby for BT Sport.
Despite the relatively small scale of the Pro D2, this is a landmark deal. Unlike the NFL game in São Paulo this September, Google and YouTube did not pay for these rights. Cocker himself, along with his team on the FR-UK Rugby YouTube channel, paid for the rights and will broadcast the games.
That means any British or Irish fans of the Pro D2 will need to go to the FR-UK channel to watch the remainder of the league’s postseason this spring and 35 regular season match days next season.
“The success here is on EggChasers, the support you have given means that I have such a positive feeling toward YouTube as a platform,” Cocker said in a YouTube video announcing the deal. “I think there is a demand that outstrips the supply for rugby fans; there is a massive hunger for content.”
The Top 14, France’s top rugby league, is the most highly regarded competition in the world. With relegation, the Pro D2 sends one team to the Top 14 each season.
“What’s going on in French domestic rugby is really amazing,” Cocker explained. “And that’s what attracted me to it.”
Cocker and the FR-UK team join a small but growing group of pioneers who have struck deals to bring niche live sports rights directly to YouTube and Twitch. The most well-known is CazeTV, an immensely popular soccer content creator who calls top Brazilian tournaments on his YouTube channel. CazeTV has also previously developed partnerships with YouTube and Twitch to broadcast global competitions like the FIFA World Cup on its platforms.
Recently, soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo launched a YouTube channel and live-streamed the Premier Padel finals from Saudi Arabia on his channel.
As YouTube pursues NFL rights, including the Brazil game and the Sunday Ticket subscription service, as well as reportedly exploring MLB and NFL Draft rights, content creators could be involved in these deals or strike smaller partnerships on their own. For example, global streaming star iShowSpeed broadcast a flag football competition on his YouTube channel the night before the Super Bowl this past February in partnership with the NFL. It was a football alternative to the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, showcasing what could be possible in the future.
“One of the awesome things I love about YouTube is that it’s open and it’s accessible to everybody. There is no paywall, there is no barrier, there is no financial demand,” Cocker explained. “In England, this is the only professional rugby that everyone can watch. The only professional rugby that you can watch free-to-air is what I, me and our team, are bringing you with FR-UK Rugby.”