It was within reason when YouTube wanted to choose Jason Kelce as a part of their inaugural NFL stream from Brazil. But as far as ESPN landing its talents to streamers is concerned, it fell on deaf ears. Having Kelce on Friday’s Chiefs vs. Chargers would have been huge for a number of reasons. His brother, Travis, plays for the Chiefs; secondly, Jason and Travis run their popular ‘New Heights’ podcast that has received a lot of love on YouTube; and thirdly, as the natural progression of things goes, it would have been fitting after the older Kelce brother had served as a spokesperson for YouTube’s Sunday Ticket.

Now, all of this gets enforced in favor of ESPN via the way of a policy that was instituted several months back that its broadcasters would not be permitted to appear on YouTube or Netflix games. Key point being, their on-air employee Jason Kelce, who is currently on a three-year, $24 million deal for Monday Night Countdown, was, per Front Office Sports, not “singled out.”

ESPN, like FOX, is careful, and this tendency complicates work for platforms like YouTube and Netflix for their one-off NFL telecasts. But this goes deeper than just talent sharing. The NFL is preparing to acquire 10% of ESPN, leaving it conflicted between two interests: promote the YouTube viewing experience while protecting ESPN’s decades-old broadcast dominance that comes with paying its broadcasters a lot of money for exclusivity. With pending regulatory approval on the NFL-ESPN deal, Mike Florio put it succinctly on NBCSports.com: “It would be interesting to know what the outcome of the YouTube Kelce request would have been if the ESPN-NFL deal had already been finalized.

“Which means it will be interesting to see how such issues will be handled after the deal is finalized – and the NFL has a more effective way to call ESPN with a two-word message, ‘Relax, guy!’”

Once, networks like ESPN controlled access. They had a monopoly over the voices, faces, and stories that shaped the sport. But as streaming platforms land coveted NFL slots, the power shifts. FOX, which previously lent Greg Olsen to Netflix, and ESPN, which previously let the streaming platform utilize Mina Kimes and Laura Rutledge for their studio show, now restricts its talent. The fear? The streamers are carving out the next big audience for themselves.

For Kelce, ESPN’s exclusivity means side projects are off-limits unless specifically written in contracts. Yet, the lure of digital stardom and cross-platform access is reshaping the game. Younger crowds, global audiences, and culturally influential moments now pulse through podcasts, viral clips, and alternative broadcasts. These are territories ESPN and FOX can’t fully guard, and Jason Kelce also happens to be deeply rooted in one such territory.

For the sake of being redundant, New Heights continues to reach new heights!

Even as ESPN clipped Jason Kelce’s wings for the YouTube broadcast, it couldn’t control the bigger play: The New Heights podcast. The show isn’t bound by the same corporate walls. The New Heights podcast recently inked a staggering three-year, $100 million deal with Amazon’s Wondery.

With this deal, Wondery covers all multimedia rights and a lucrative merch empire under the Kelce brothers’ podcast. And the show’s reach exploded after Taylor Swift’s guest appearance. She unveiled her new, upcoming album: Life of a Showgirl, and also shared cherishable moments with Travis Kelce on the show. Her episode broke YouTube’s podcast record with 1.3 million live viewers. It has also crossed 21 million total views on YouTube. According to metrics, the Swift episode boosted the show’s female audience by over 600% and grew its YouTube channel by leaps and bounds.

The Kelces now command more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube. The Amazon deal gives Wondery exclusive rights to develop and distribute podcast merchandise, further fueling the brothers’ $100 million brand. So, even though Jason Kelce cannot be a part of YouTube’s NFL debut, his podcast episode following the game will surely attract a lot more viewers than they might anticipate, especially after the unwanted conflict.