If you're trying to understand where the next generation of sports fans are forming, and crucially how you’re going to monetise them, the answer is not sports subscription.

YouTube made more revenue in 2025 than Disney. Its viewers are younger, its creator ecosystem wider and its sports infrastructure growing.

So why do sports rights holders still treat YouTube as a background channel? You only need to look at the numbers to see how important it is. YouTube generated $62.3 billion in revenue in 2025 according to data released recently by MoffettNathanson. That puts it ahead of Disney, which posted $60.9 billion. YouTube is, by analyst consensus, the world’s l…