At the end of a long season, NFL players begin their majestic migration southward, seeking wintering grounds in warmer regions. Or at least, they do in YouTube TV’s amusing parody of nature documentaries, urging viewers to sign up early for next season’s NFL Sunday Ticket.

The 60-second spot below, which will run in the ad slot right before the kickoff of Sunday’s Super Bowl, was created in-house at YouTube. It was directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. of MJZ, the Dutch filmmaker best known for making the legendary Canal+ spot “The Bear” for agency BETC.

It begins with a naturalist observing the skies and remarking with wonder at the creatures above him. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he says. “Ravens. Seahawks. Eagles.” We soon see, though, that it’s the NFL version of those airborne species—not the actual birds.

The spot includes appearance from NFL players Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens), Tyler Lockett (Seattle Seahawks) and D’Andre Swift (Philadelphia Eagles). It also includes three YouTube creators, seen watching TV toward the end—Sean Evans/Hot Ones (13.1 million subscribers), Donald De La Haye aka DEESTROYING (5.67 million subscribers) and Pierson Wodzynski (4.9 million subscribers).

The moment at the end of the spot is priceless, when the naturalist catches a tiny football—as though it were an egg—and coos, “Aww, a rookie” To extend that moment from the campaign, YouTube sent egg kits to influencers including Evans.

what came first, the chicken or the wing @seanseaevans pic.twitter.com/kDzDRmYXeO

— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) February 6, 2024