Georgia fans furious as Bulldogs place weekly football highlight video behind paywall

College football highlights are the one thing left in 2026 that should be free for fans. But for Georgia Bulldog fans looking to simply watch highlights of their team's 63-3 Week 1 victory over Tennessee State, it will actually cost you. 

The Bulldogs' social media team came under fire recently for posting what appeared to be video highlights of UGA's big Week 1 victory. But fans quickly discovered that those highlights were actually placed behind a paywall. 

Let's take a deeper look here. 

MORE: Georgia football's timeline of legal trouble under Kirby Smart

Fans furious as Georgia places football highlight behind paywall

The Georgia football post on X, formerly known as Twitter, appears innocent enough. The video, which appears to be showing game highlights. It starts with a clip of Kirby Smart giving the Bulldogs a pep talk at the start of the game, with footage of UGA taking the field. 

Do you have any idea how much money I’ve spent to attend this university and support this program over the years? Show me the freaking highlights, the fanbase is bleeding cash week in and week out. Get the money from Delta or Home depot or Coke idc

— Davis (@DavisMullvain) September 8, 2026

But in the post's caption, it reads: "Watch the full Victory Highlights on https://gloryglorygeorgia.com and the Glory Glory app." The reaction was so intense from UGA fans that X added a community note. 

"Readers added context they thought people might want to know," the note reads. "In order to watch the full highlights on gloryglorygeorgia.com, users have to not only sign up but pay for a subscription, with the minimum cost being $20/month."

MORE: Is Lane Kiffin's team going undefeated? Ranking LSU's opponents' chances of beating the Tigers 

Why did Georgia put football highlights behind a paywall?

The post is apparently to try and generate fans to both visit and subscribe to access to the Glory Glory Georgia site. Although the site has its own content, separate from Georgia's official website, placing a clip of the highlights hidden behind a paywall seems a bit much. 

MORE: Projected college Football Playoff bracket for Week 2

Reaction to Georgia putting football highlights behind paywall

As you can imagine, Bulldog fans were not happy. Take a look at just some of the replies to the post: 

Georgia games have never been more inaccessible and you’re going to put video highlights behind a paywall? Be friggin serious. This is not how you build fandoms that last a lifetime. This is turning people away from being a fan. The long term ramifications will be felt.

— Jimmy G, CPO (@JimmyG1574) September 8, 2026

This is weak and unbecoming of a national powerhouse, NIL be damned.

— LM (@LM__4547) September 8, 2026

Bad move. You can squeeze money out of fans so many way. Forcing them to pay for highlights is terrible @GeorgiaFootball @GloryGloryGA

— Devante (@Sukanas_thumb) September 8, 2026

What are we doing here? Paywalling the weekly highlight video? Total BS

— UGA Hoops Next (@UGAHoopsNext) September 8, 2026

Charging $85 per ticket for that game and then $20 to watch the highlights is diabolical. Read the planet.

— Ben Burgess (@BenBurgessATL) September 8, 2026

60yr season tix holder. Driving up from Jax for every home gm.Hartman Fund donations for 3 season tixs, then paying 4 the 3 seats, add 3 seat backs 4 season & cost of parking 4 all home gms. PIus, food/drinks if we get any & u can’t provide a FREE hi-lite vid @Brooks_UGA ? Shame.

— UGA89 (@stacyethan) September 8, 2026

The other interesting factor at-play here is that Saturday's Georgia game was not even on cable for fans to watch. The game was instead placed on SEC+, which is the SEC Network and ESPN app's streaming platform. The channel is only available for fans who connect their cable television provider for access. 

So not only are the highlights accessible to all fans, but there were likely several fans who weren't able to watch the actual game. A big reason for highlights' existence is giving fans big parts of the game that they may have missed.  

What is ‘GloryGlorygeorgia.com?'

On their official website, the site describes itself as a "fan-first ecosystem designed to capture and share exclusive content, deliver unparalleled access to UGA athletics through curated experiences, and inspire deeper levels of engagement."

The website includes both original articles as well as video content, including interviews with coaches and players. It also features "VIP experiences" for fans to engage in Georgia athletics and athletes through VIP experiences as well. There is official UGA merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts and signed football and baseballs. 

How much does a membership to ‘GloryGlorygeorgia.com. Cost?

According to the site, a red level subscription is $20 a month, which includes things like two complimentary tickets to a private practice, a monthly e-newsletter, exclusive digital content access as well as message board access.

A black level subscription is $75 a month, and includes all the previous benefits, as well as tickets to five practices, tickets to two Glory Glory events and $5 off merchandise purchases. A silver level membership is $100 a month. 

MORE: Who is Deuce Alexander? Meet Ole Miss WR with two 62-yard touchdowns vs. Louisville

What is UGA’s relationship with GloryGloryGeorgia.com?

Although Georgia is actively promoting the site and its content, GloryGloryGeorgia.com is an indpendent NIL fundraising platform separate from UGA athletics itself.  

On the site's FAQ page, it states that Glory Glory Georgia is a legal entity "separate from UGA." But it adds that the school approves of the site's mission to serve UGA fans "through exclusive content and experiences."

College football has undergone some massive changes in recent years, and NIL highlights just how much money there is to be made across the sport. But fans not even being able to watch highlights for free appears to be a bridge too far. It'll be interesting to see if Georgia continues to post highlights like this throughout the season. 

MORE: Ranking best, worst coaching debuts in Week 1: Lane Kiffin, Matt Campbell, Jon Sumrall in new places