\n<\/p>\n
O’Reilly said that the NFL, its clubs and partners now have a “global mindset”, with 25 of the 32 clubs being part of the league’s global marketing programme.<\/p>\n
That 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 is reaching a far wider, younger audience.<\/p>\n
“Beyond the games themselves, there’s so much momentum globally year round that we’re excited about,” O’Reilly added.<\/p>\n
With the NFL dominating the US sports market in viewership ratings and sponsorship revenue, the international market represents the next frontier.<\/p>\n
It is not clear how much that currently brings in for the NFL but it is the world’s most profitable sports league, generating a reported $20bn (\u00a315.7bn) of revenue in 2023.<\/p>\n
The NBA brought in $13bn (\u00a310.2bn) during the 2023-24 season, while Premier League clubs banked an aggregate of \u00a36.1bn ($7.8bn) in 2022-23.<\/p>\n
Most of the NFL’s revenue comes from media rights. In 2021 it agreed an 11-year deal worth $111bn (\u00a387.3bn). The NBA’s current deal, also for 11 years, is worth $76bn (\u00a359.8bn) and the Premier League’s is \u00a310bn ($13bn) over three years.<\/p>\n
However, in 2023 the NFL drastically enhanced its streaming offer by signing a 10-year deal with DAZN, allowing fans in more than 200 countries to watch every game live.<\/p>\n
Then this May, the NFL agreed a three-year deal with Netflix, which has paid a reported $150m (\u00a3118m) to broadcast two live games on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n
The league says these will be world sport’s first “truly globally distributed games”.<\/p>\n
More games will mean more media rights to be sold, and more international games could mean that – because of time zones – there will be a fourth broadcast window each Sunday.<\/p>\n
Imagine that: more than 12 hours of consecutive, live NFL action – every week. No wonder the league and its teams have such a “global mindset”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n