O'Reilly said the NFL, its clubs and partners now have a “global mentality,” with 25 of the 32 clubs being part of the league's global marketing program.
This covers 19 countries, helping to build brand awareness and fan engagement, while the increase in streaming services and NFL content on social media means the league reaches a much wider audience and younger.
“Beyond the Games themselves, there is so much momentum globally throughout the year that we are excited about,” O’Reilly added.
While the NFL dominates the US sports market in terms of viewership and sponsorship revenue, the international market represents the next frontier.
It's unclear how much this currently brings in for the NFL, but it is the most profitable sports league in the world, generating $20 billion (£15.7 billion) in revenue in 2023.
The NBA brought in $13 billion (£10.2 billion) in the 2023-24 season, while Premier League clubs took in a total of £6.1 billion (£7.8 billion). dollars) in 2022-2023.
Most of the NFL's revenue comes from media rights. In 2021, it agreed an 11-year deal worth $111 billion (£87.3 billion). The NBA's current deal, also for 11 years, is worth $76 billion (£59.8 billion) and the Premier League's is worth £10 billion ($13 billion ) over three years.
However, in 2023, the NFL significantly improved its streaming offering by signing a 10-year deal with DAZN, allowing fans in over 200 countries to watch every game live.
Then last May, the NFL agreed a three-year deal with Netflix, which paid $150m (£118m) to show two games live on Christmas Day.
The league says these will be the first “truly globally distributed games.”
More games would mean more media rights to sell, and more international games could mean that – due to time zones – there will be a fourth broadcast window every Sunday.
Picture this: 12+ straight hours of live NFL action, every week. It's no wonder the league and its teams have such a “global mentality.”
2024-12-18 15:26:51
