YouTube has overtaken ITV as the UK's second-most watched TV service. Young fans are living on creator platforms, not traditional broadcasts. The Sidemen sold out Wembley with 8 million concurrent viewers. Numbers that rival cup finals. Fabrizio Romano built a media empire from transfer updates, whilst Piqué's Kings League generated €20.5 million in creator led football revenue. For athletes: the conversation now starts with creators, not broadcasters. Own your content, understand compliance, and treat your personal brand like the media startup it actually is.

Hello, Hi Visionaries!

Right, let's start with something that'll make your agent's ears perk up: YouTube has officially overtaken ITV to become the UK's second-most watched TV service. Only the BBC sits ahead now. Among 16-24 year olds your core fanbase, the ones buying shirts and filling stadiums, live TV averages just 17 minutes per day.

Think about that for a second. The generation that should be glued to Match of the Day is instead living on creator platforms. They're not abandoning football; they're just watching it differently.

The precedent? Remember when Nike bypassed traditional sports media in the 1990s with direct-to-athlete marketing? Michael Jordan didn't need the sports desk's approval to build his brand. Today's equivalent is creators bypassing traditional broadcasters to build direct relationships with fans.

The Sidemen Charity Match at Wembley this year wasn't just a YouTube stunt. It was modern sports media. 8 million concurrent viewers, 90,000 in the stadium, and over £4.7 million raised for charity. To put that in perspective, that's viewership numbers that rival domestic cup finals.

This happened during a broadcast blackout window. No Sky Sports, no BT. Just creators, their audiences, and a sold-out Wembley.

Historical context: This mirrors how ESPN built its empire in the 1980s by creating programming around sports, not just broadcasting games. The Sidemen didn't just show football; they created an event that felt bigger than football.

Fabrizio Romano turned transfer updates into a one man sports wire service. His Substack, The Daily Briefing, has over 182,000 paid subscribers. Let me translate that into footballer terms: that's more than the population of Blackpool paying monthly to read his transfer insights.

Romano cracked the code that traditional sports journalism couldn't: ownership of the audience. When he says "Here we go!", his followers don't wait for confirmation from Sky Sports News. They trust him more than the institutions.

The athlete opportunity: You don't need to become a transfer guru, but you can apply Romano's model to training insights, tactical analysis, or behind-the-scenes content. Own your expertise, package it consistently, and watch your audience become your biggest competitive advantage.

Gerard Piqué's Kings League proves that creator led sports IP can generate serious revenue. €20.5 million in 2023, to be exact. Seven-a-side football, creator team presidents, and Twitch native distribution. It sounds mad until you see the stadium finals and multi-club expansion.

Why it works: Piqué didn't try to recreate La Liga's 90 minute format for the TikTok generation. He built something new that felt authentically digital first. The creators weren't add-ons; they were the foundation.

The lesson for athletes: Don't just adapt your content for social media. Create new formats that isn’t a prisoner to the algorithms. Think training challenges that are impossible on TV, real-time Q&As during recovery sessions, or tactical breakdowns that pause and rewind.

Here's your benchmark: MrBeast reaches over 300 million subscribers on his main channel and commands brand economics that make traditional TV look quaint. He's not just a creator; he's a distribution empire with theme parks, burger chains, and chocolate bars.

For athletes: You might not be giving away Lamborghinis, but you can borrow his obsession with viewer retention and format innovation. Every video is a mini experiment in keeping people watching. Every collaboration expands his universe. Every brand deal feels like a natural extension of his content.

Historical parallel: Muhammad Ali didn't just fight; he understood that controversy, personality, and media savvy could make him bigger than boxing itself. Today's equivalent is athletes who understand that content creation can make them bigger than their sport.

Let's get tactical about revenue streams that actually work:

For Athlete-Creators:

For Forward-Thinking Clubs:

The Sidemen and Romano models prove the same thing: owned audiences become packaged inventory. You're not just selling access to your followers; you're selling guaranteed engagement with people who genuinely care about what you have to say.

Here's where the professionalisation of sports comes into play. It's not glamorous but it's crucial:

Content Rights: Clubs still control match footage. Ben Foster learned this the hard way when his GoPro was banned. Know your boundaries. Training ground content is usually fair game, but respect the lines.

Advertising Standards: The ASA isn't messing about. Every sponsored post needs clear disclosure. No "#ad hidden in a sea of hashtags" nonsense. Just be transparent.

Financial Promotions: If you're pushing crypto or investments, the FCA's new rules mean you need proper approval. One wrong move here can be legally prosecutable. Get this vetted.

Data Protection: Building a fan database? You need legitimate interests assessments and proper consent flows. GDPR isn't just a buzzword. It's the law.

The clubs that win this transition will build "creator-ready" infrastructure now:

Traditional broadcasters still own premium live rights, but creators own the daily conversation. The athletes who understand this and the clubs that support them will build direct relationships with fans that outlast any broadcast deal.

Remember: Muhammad Ali didn't wait for permission to become a media personality. Neither should you.

The game is changing faster than VAR decisions, and the winners will be those who adapt quickest. Your move.