Cristiano Ronaldo invests in LiveMode, backing CazéTV's free World Cup play
What's the deal? Cristiano RonaldoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has invested in LiveModeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the Brazilian sports media company behind CazéTV — the YouTube channel that will broadcast all 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup free-to-air in Brazil. Ronaldo acquired a substantial stake in LiveModeTVDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the company's international arm, which launched in Portugal in December 2025 and secured rights to stream 34 World Cup matches free on YouTube, including all Portugal games. Financial details were not disclosed.
CazéTV was launched in 2022 by Brazilian YouTuber Casimiro Miguel in partnership with LiveMode. It has since grown into one of the largest digital sports channels in the world, with 26.9 million YouTube subscribers and 3.7 billion views in 2025 alone. It owns 11 of the 16 biggest live broadcasts in YouTube history.
Why now? The 2026 World Cup — hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico — is weeks away, and CazéTV is preparing to stream every match live in 4K. The platform first proved its model during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when it streamed 39 matches and gained roughly 5.5 million subscribers. Its peak audience hit 6.9 million concurrent devices during Brazil vs Croatia — the largest live viewership ever recorded on YouTube.
Ronaldo's backing arrives as LiveMode expands internationally. Rather than investing in an established broadcaster or subscription streaming giant, Ronaldo chose a company built around YouTube distribution, creator-driven programming, and free-access models.
"Sport can change lives," Ronaldo said, adding that the partnership aims to "enrich the ecosystem, extending the reach and involvement of the main competitions through broadcasts on YouTube and content distributed on all social media platforms for everyone."
What could go wrong? Free, ad-supported sports streaming on YouTube remains unproven at sustained global scale. LiveModeTV's international expansion hinges on securing broadcast rights market by market — a process that pits it against deep-pocketed incumbents. And while CazéTV thrives in Brazil, replicating that success in markets with entrenched pay-TV habits will be harder.
There's also the question of whether YouTube's infrastructure can consistently handle millions of concurrent viewers across 104 matches without quality issues.
The signal: LiveMode's "breakout" growth stage, according to Dealroom, underscores how quickly creator-led, free-to-air sports platforms are maturing into serious broadcast competitors. Ronaldo's involvement as an angel investor — rather than a passive brand ambassador — signals growing confidence among high-profile individuals that YouTube-native distribution can capture premium live sports rights traditionally held by legacy TV networks. If the 2026 World Cup validates this model at global scale, expect a wave of athlete-backed digital media ventures targeting broadcast rights market by market.
Read more: bharathorizon.com
