Jamie Vardy has secured the live broadcasting rights for the Bundesliga, a deal that will see him broadcast seven Friday night matches throughout the season across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Vardy, who launched his YouTube channel and podcast in June, beat out competition from Gary Neville for the broadcasting gig.
Vardy's partnership begins with the season curtain-raiser between Bayern Munich and Stuttgart. He will watch and comment on the games as part of the new arrangement.
This follows a similar initiative last season by streamer Mark Goldbridge, whose That's Football channel typically garnered between 20,000 and 30,000 views for his Bundesliga live streams. Goldbridge has an audience of 1.5 million subscribers, while Vardy's channel has 12,800 subscribers.
"This is a huge move for Jamie as he expands his talents in broadcasting, while still playing football," a source told The Sun. "He’s buzzing to reach Bundesliga fans and chat with star guests about action on the pitch. He’s hoping to create a real community with his podcast and is loving getting into the nitty gritty of the sport."
Rick Murray, CEO of producers Workerbee, commented on the trend of fans seeking engagement. "Fans don’t just want to watch football anymore, they want to experience it with the people they already know and trust," Murray said. "Jamie has built an incredible community around the podcast, and thanks to our Bundesliga partnership, we can bring that audience closer to some seriously big games."
Vardy, 39, is currently a free agent after leaving Italian club Cremonese following their relegation from Serie A. His podcast has featured guests such as Sean Dyche, Wes Morgan, and David James. Notably, his most viewed video featured automotive YouTuber Mat Armstrong, accumulating 150,000 views.