NFL players have gone all-in on video in 2018. Since the preseason kicked off on August 2nd, players have shared almost three thousand videos to their personal Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram channels, producing more than 140 million video views.
No player has embraced this athlete-driven revolution more than JuJu Smith-Schuster. With help from Team JuJu — a close-knit squad that helps him capture, curate, and produce premium content — JuJu has shared more than sixty videos to social since the preseason began. Those videos have earned an NFL-leading 21 million views and helped build his audience by over 400 thousand followers in less than three months.
From highlights to hype videos, promotions to pom-poms — JuJu and his team consistently give his audience the content it craves.
My new @uninterrupted series I AM MORE: OBJ launches on Facebook Watch today. Check it out, follow the page, episode 1 tonight. #IAMMOREOBJ –> https://t.co/2Cfzgkqx6m pic.twitter.com/f2FEfwEuF7
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) September 14, 2018
While JuJu is the trailblazer, players from Odell Beckham Jr. to Marquette King aren’t far behind. Athletes across the league are embracing their opportunity and positioning themselves as one-man media companies, primed to take advantage of the athlete-driven future of sports content.
The NFL’s top player publishers
Below is a breakdown of the NFL’s most prolific video publishers on social. We show the video activity, views, and top posts from August 2, 2018, to October 16, 2018.
Video Activity
Video Views
Top athlete-driven video posts
1. Odell beckham Jr | 1.8 Million views
2. Tom Brady | 1.76 Million views
3. Tom Brady | 1.72 Million views
View this post on InstagramW (Lay down @gronk! Go to sleep!)
A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on
4. JujU smith-schuster | 1.62 Million views
View this post on InstagramTouchdown or Nah?????? ? CMON MAN!!! ?
A post shared by JuJu Smith-Schuster (@juju) on
5. tom brady | 1.4 Million views