A Hoffenheim preseason match generated unexpectedly high viewership on YouTube. The live stream of the friendly against Tottenham Hotspur on the Men in Blazers channel on August 15 attracted 10,000 concurrent viewers in the US and Canada, as reported by Sportspro.com.
The organizers had only projected between 2,800 and 3,200 viewers. The result tripled their own forecast. Tottenham won the match 3-0. For the Men in Blazers YouTube channel, which has nearly 450,000 subscribers, it was the first-ever live broadcast of a full football match.
How did this broadcast come about?
The approach came from Tottenham Hotspur. The Premier League club was seeking new ways to reach fans in North America. Roger Bennett, founder and CEO of Men in Blazers, confirmed this approach. "Tottenham came to us. The Premier League teams want to own and speak to this fanbase in new and quite thoughtful ways," Bennett said. His organization, which describes itself as the largest independent soccer media organization in North America, was founded in 2010. They traveled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the broadcast, carrying the club's live feed and supplementing it with pre-recorded interviews, including one with manager Roberto De Zerbi.
What does this mean for Hoffenheim?
The unexpectedly high reach in a key overseas market is a positive side effect for TSG. The match was part of their preseason preparations. Hoffenheim finished the 2025 season in 6th place in the Bundesliga with 51 points from 29 games (15 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses). The team scored 57 goals and conceded 43, resulting in a +14 goal difference. Recent form ahead of the new season is listed as DLLDW. In the title race, they finished 25 points behind leaders Bayern Munich. The next competitive fixture is an away match against 1. FC Köln on August 29, as shown on our fixtures page.
What are Men in Blazers' future plans?
The success has encouraged the company. Bennett suggested this would not be the last live broadcast. For potential future projects, they are considering a second-screen live feed from the stadium, cutting in players. Men in Blazers is financially robust. Last year, the company raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Marc Lasry's Avenue Sports Fund. Preparations for the 2026 World Cup in the US are underway. The company has already seen a 300% increase in Spotify listenership and a 500% increase in streams since May 1st.
Is this part of a larger trend?
Yes. Rights holders are increasingly experimenting with showing live games on creator-led channels. A similar example is the Bundesliga airing games in the UK via Gary Neville's "The Overlap" and YouTuber Mark Goldbridge's "That's Football" channels. For Hoffenheim, the incident primarily means international visibility. The team is now preparing for the start of the season, building on a solid previous campaign, the detailed stats of which can be found in our standings section. The upcoming challenges will show if TSG can build on those performances.
