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.
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.
“Beyond the games themselves, there’s so much momentum globally year round that we’re excited about,” O’Reilly added.
With the NFL dominating the US sports market in viewership ratings and sponsorship revenue, the international market represents the next frontier.
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 (£15.7bn) of revenue in 2023.
The NBA brought in $13bn (£10.2bn) during the 2023-24 season, while Premier League clubs banked an aggregate of £6.1bn ($7.8bn) in 2022-23.
Most of the NFL’s revenue comes from media rights. In 2021 it agreed an 11-year deal worth $111bn (£87.3bn). The NBA’s current deal, also for 11 years, is worth $76bn (£59.8bn) and the Premier League’s is £10bn ($13bn) over three years.
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.
Then this May, the NFL agreed a three-year deal with Netflix, which has paid a reported $150m (£118m) to broadcast two live games on Christmas Day.
The league says these will be world sport’s first “truly globally distributed games”.
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.
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”.
