In a move that has been hailed as an 'historic world-first moment', Cristiano Ronaldo’s official YouTube channel is now streaming live coverage of the ongoing Premier Padel P1 finals. This development marks a significant milestone in the broadcasting landscape, leveraging the soccer icon’s massive platform to reach millions of sports fans worldwide.
The Portuguese soccer star's YouTube channel, which boasts nearly 74 million subscribers, is providing coverage of the semi-finals and finals in more than 130 countries worldwide. This complements Premier Padel’s existing broadcast agreements with renowned networks such as Red Bull TV, BeIN Sports, Canal+, ESPN, Sky Italia, Movistar and Viaplay.
This innovative approach to sports broadcasting leverages Ronaldo's immense popularity on social media platforms. With over a billion followers across his various accounts, he is currently the most-followed person on social media.
Key player off the field
Ronaldo isn't just lending his platform for broadcasting; he has also attended padel events and invested in the sport. His involvement with padel extends beyond being a mere spectator or investor - it represents his commitment to promoting lesser-known sports and bringing them into mainstream consciousness.
His entry into YouTube last year was met with overwhelming success as he amassed some 50 million subscribers within just one week. Now with close to 74 million subscribers on this platform alone, it provides an excellent opportunity for sports like padel to gain global recognition.
No monetary incentive involved
Interestingly enough, reports suggest that Ronaldo isn't receiving any payment for carrying live streams from these events. The current tournament taking place in Riyadh culminates on Monday 17th February and marks the first of 24 Premier Padel events set to take place this year. The season will conclude in Barcelona come December.
This partnership between Ronaldo and Premier Padel is a testament to the power of social media in sports broadcasting. It not only provides an alternative platform for sports coverage but also helps promote less popular sports to a global audience. As we look forward to more Premier Padel events this year, it will be interesting to see how this innovative approach impacts the sport's popularity and viewership worldwide.
