San Francisco Frontiers - Pyjamas and bets: Brazil YouTube channel reshapes World Cup viewing

A record 18 million viewers tuned in to watch Brazil's match against Scotland on CazeTV, which has become a major competitor to media giants like Globo and ESPN in just four years on air.

It is the only place Brazilians can watch all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup for free, with exclusive rights to 49 games.

In one segment, fans are encouraged to send in videos of themselves shouting out of their windows to celebrate goals.

"Young people are no longer just spectators ... they want to take part" in the broadcasts, Bruno Brum, from marketing agency End to End, told AFP.

But in Brazil, where sports gambling and addiction have exploded in recent years, questions have arisen over the constant display of QR codes linking to betting sites and hosts offering betting tips in the middle of matches.

This prompted a public consumer protection body to open an investigation this week into suspected "abusive advertising."

In response, the channel announced it would take a more cautious approach to such ads, which have since decreased.

"It's crazy to encourage people to gamble during a football match," center-left lawmaker Tabata Amaral told AFP.

She has introduced a bill aimed at restricting advertising for betting websites, whose logos already appear on the shirts of most top-flight Brazilian clubs.

The government of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva considers online gambling a public health issue, particularly among lower-income Brazilians who fall into debt to place bets.

- 'Revolutionary' -

CazeTV has shot past 35 million subscribers during the World Cup.

On Wednesday, 18.3 million devices were connected during Brazil's 3-0 win over Scotland, setting a new global YouTube livestream record, according to FIFA.

The driving force behind the project, 32-year-old Casimiro Miguel, better known as "Caze," first rose to prominence as a Twitch streamer known for his sharp humor.

A chubby-cheeked caricature of Miguel serves as the logo of the channel, co-founded by sports marketing agency LiveMode.

Ivan Martinho, a professor at the ESPM marketing school, believes the "true transformation" in sports broadcasting is in consumer behavior.

Brazil, a country of 213 million people, has more cellphones than inhabitants.

"From the very beginning ... our audience has been part of the broadcast. That's what shaped our tone and our format," LiveMode co-founder Sergio Lopes told AFP.

With paid streaming platforms becoming increasingly numerous and expensive, 22-year-old student Samuel do Carmo is delighted to be able to watch the World Cup for free.

"What they're doing is revolutionary," he said at Casa CazeTV, where the channel set up a venue for fans to watch their broadcasts on giant screens.

Rosana Lima, a 48-year-old supporter, finds the hosts hilarious, but their offering is not universally appreciated.

"The CazeTV commentators' habit of shouting at every play wears on one's patience," wrote Amauri Segalla, an editor of the Veja magazine wrote in a column.

"On social media, everything has to be bigger than life; everything has to generate clips, engagement, and shares," he complained.

Next year, the channel will hold broadcasting rights for the five major European soccer leagues: Spain, England, Italy, France, and Germany.

A.Evans--SFF