The Business of YouTube

A weekly strategic lens for senior leaders into how YouTube is reshaping the business of technology, sports, music, entertainment, and culture.

Welcome!
To your favourite newsletter, The Business of YouTube, brought to you by Paola Marinone and Bengü Atamer, founders of BuzzMyVideos and previously at YouTube and Google. We are bringing our exclusive insights from 20 years of experience leading strategy at YouTube and Google.

A Special Newsletter Edition

A bit of background. We met with Jamie Pollit at the Speakers Only event organized by Andy Marston, the founder of the Sports Pundit community (among other things). We immediately clicked on all things content, data, and new audience. Jamie is also a reader of our The Business of YouTube Newsletter and made us proud when we discovered that!

When we saw the World Cup Heartbeats Report, we found extremely interesting data, so we wanted to dedicate a whole newsletter to it. Thanks for sharing it, Jamie & the Rising Ballers team!

The First "Creator World Cup" is Coming 🎥⚽

We all know the 2026 World Cup in North America is going to be massive. But a new report from Rising Ballers suggests it won’t just be bigger; it will be fundamentally different.

We are moving away from the traditional broadcast era and entering the age of the "Fan Operating System", where the feed is just as important as the field. For digital marketers and content creators, the playbook has officially changed.

Stats: Who Was Surveyed? (Methodology)

The report is based on first-party research conducted in August 2025.

• Total Respondents: 5,237 participants worldwide.

• Age Breakdown: The survey heavily skewed toward the next generation of fans (Gen Z).

  • 16–24 years old: 81.1%

  • 25–34 years old: 14.1%

  • 35+ years old: ~4.8%.

• Gender: Predominantly male (85.4%), with 13.5% female representation.

• Geography: The survey covered over 100 countries, with a specific focus on the host nations and major football hubs:

  • Europe: 53.5%

  • Host Nations (USA, Canada, Mexico): 20.1%

  • Africa: 13.7%

  • Asia: 7.3%.

Here is your breakdown of the digital and YouTube opportunities for WC26.

High-Level Key-Takeaways

• The "Second Screen" is Dead: It’s no longer about watching TV and checking your phone. It’s "Omni-screening." Fans are switching seamlessly between devices, with no dominant screen.

• Creators are the New Broadcasters: A staggering 44.4% of fans say they will watch the World Cup live via creators (watch-alongs) or in tandem with them, rather than just the official broadcast.

• The "YouTube" Formats Winning 2026: Fans are craving depth and personality. The top formats they want are Matchday Vlogs (44%), Tactical Analysis (40%), and Watch-alongs (39%).

• Trust Issues with AI: While AI is everywhere, fans don't trust it. The global trust rating for AI content is a low 3.99/10. Authenticity remains the premium currency.

Deep Dive: The Digital Shift

1. The Rise of the "Omnivore" Consumer The days of the passive viewer are over. The report identifies a shift to "omni-screening," where the winner of the attention economy depends entirely on the emotion of the moment.

Jamie Pollit, Founder of Rising Ballers, breaks down this exact phenomenon in the report:

It is no longer about "capturing" attention on one screen; it is about being available to be "snacked on" across all of them.

2. The Creator Economy "Co-Produces" the Tournament. This will be the first World Cup truly co-produced by the creator economy. It isn't just about highlights anymore; it's about proximity.

• Creators offer what broadcasters can't: a raw, "IRL" connection to the culture.

• YouTube Opportunity: The demand for tactical analysis (40%) and podcasts (37%) shows that long-form, personality-driven content on YouTube will likely outperform generic news clips.

3. "Dark Social" & The Group Chat Don't ignore the private channels. 31% of fans say group chats are a vital layer of their consumption.

• Marketing Tip: Brands need to design for "shareability", stickers, memes, and soundbites that feel natural to pass between friends in a WhatsApp group, rather than just public timeline posts.

Highlights: "Cultural Co-Stars"

The report argues that the term "WAGs" (Wives and Girlfriends) is outdated. It rebrands these individuals as "Cultural Co-Stars"—independent influencers who are rewriting the rules of fame and access around the tournament.

• The Shift: We are moving away from the 2006 era, where partners were seen as "distractions" or "extras." Today, they are "trustworthy narrators" who offer the unfiltered, behind-the-scenes access that broadcasters cannot replicate.

• The "Halo Effect": Partners are now trendsetters in their own right. The report cites Tolami Benson (Bukayo Saka’s partner) as a prime example, whose custom leather jackets grabbed headlines for their artistry, proving these co-stars command their own stage.

• Key Stat: Fans rated their interest in "off-pitch lives" (photo dumps, family, travel) at 6.7/10. Interestingly, female fans rated this interest higher (6.9/10) than male fans (6.3/10), showing that the "story around the player" is vital for engagement.

• Marketing Insight: Brands are advised to treat these individuals as creators, not accessories. They bridge the gap between global icons and everyday fans, influencing fashion and lifestyle conversations just as much as the athletes do.

What This Means for Marketers?

If there is one takeaway from this report, it is that authenticity defeats polish.

The 2026 World Cup will be defined by "Hyper(fan)ova", a messy, fluid fandom where fans support multiple teams and players based on cultural connection rather than just geography.

For your strategy:

• Lean into "IRL": Fans want to see the culture, the travel, and the food. Vlogs and behind-the-scenes content will win over studio punditry.

• Partner with Creators: Don't just buy ad space; let creators tell the story. They are the ones with the trust and the attention.

• YouTube is King for Depth: While TikTok/Reels win on speed, YouTube is where the "culture" and "narrative" will be built through vlogs and analysis.

Want to discuss how to shape your collaboration strategy, talk to us.

🚨 The YouTube Shorts for Sport Playbook

If you weren’t at our Masterclass, you still have a chance to download the Playbook, lots of insights for your growth.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PLAYBOOK NOW

You can also be a beta tester (free of charge) for the new feature we have integrated into FullScore to create Shorts from Long-form videos. 

Do you want to test our short-form clipping tool? Join the waiting list!

Watch the latest episode of The Business of YouTube podcast, featuring Paolo Provinciali from LinkedIn.

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