The Business of the NFL 2025 report is part of the analyst’s “Business of” series of sports competition profiles. The report takes a deep dive into the National Football League (NFL), the top level of professional American football and one of the most commercially powerful sports leagues in the world. It examines the league’s major commercial rights, focusing on the primary media and sponsorship assets, as well as the biggest sponsorship deals and annual values across its 32 franchises. The report also reviews key market indicators including TV and streaming viewership, attendance figures, and social media reach and engagement.
Media Rights: From 2023 to 2034, the NFL’s U.S. broadcast rights are split among ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC. This keeps games widely available on traditional TV, while streaming services like ESPN+ and Peacock add extra value by offering some exclusive content.
Audience Growth and Viewership Metrics: In 2025, the NFL drew its biggest regular-season TV audience since 1989, averaging 18.7 million viewers per game. Viewership jumped by double digits across every major platform and time slot-both TV and streaming-helped in part by improved Nielsen ratings measurements.
Sponsorship Landscape & Deals: For the 2025 season, the NFL has 92 distinct sponsorship agreements in places. These deals include longtime partners like Nike and AB InBev.
Structural Drivers of Revenue: All NFL teams perform well commercially, but approaches vary by market and venue. Rams, Cowboys, and Eagles secure higher-value deals; Saints and Falcons sell more partnerships; smaller markets have fewer premium assets.
Global Expansion: The NFL is growing internationally in markets such as the UK, Germany, Spain, Brazil, and the UAE. By staging regular-season games overseas and expanding the Global Markets Program, the league builds local fanbases through live events, merchandise, and media partnerships-focused on long-term cultural impact and revenue.
Team & Venue Strategy: New stadium projects in Buffalo, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Carolina emphasize premium, year-round amenities. Big markets maximize naming rights and suites; smaller markets build mixed-use, community hubs to host diverse events and sustain revenue.
Media Rights: From 2023 to 2034, the NFL’s U.S. broadcast rights are split among ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC. This keeps games widely available on traditional TV, while streaming services like ESPN+ and Peacock add extra value by offering some exclusive content.
Audience Growth and Viewership Metrics: In 2025, the NFL drew its biggest regular-season TV audience since 1989, averaging 18.7 million viewers per game. Viewership jumped by double digits across every major platform and time slot-both TV and streaming-helped in part by improved Nielsen ratings measurements.
Sponsorship Landscape & Deals: For the 2025 season, the NFL has 92 distinct sponsorship agreements in places. These deals include longtime partners like Nike and AB InBev.
Structural Drivers of Revenue: All NFL teams perform well commercially, but approaches vary by market and venue. Rams, Cowboys, and Eagles secure higher-value deals; Saints and Falcons sell more partnerships; smaller markets have fewer premium assets.
Global Expansion: The NFL is growing internationally in markets such as the UK, Germany, Spain, Brazil, and the UAE. By staging regular-season games overseas and expanding the Global Markets Program, the league builds local fanbases through live events, merchandise, and media partnerships-focused on long-term cultural impact and revenue.
Team & Venue Strategy: New stadium projects in Buffalo, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Carolina emphasize premium, year-round amenities. Big markets maximize naming rights and suites; smaller markets build mixed-use, community hubs to host diverse events and sustain revenue.
Key Highlights
- Overview of the media rights landscape
- Cost per game breakdown
- Bundesliga payments breakdown
- YouTube highlights viewership
- Global media and sponsor partners explored
- Breakdown of the sponsorship deals including annual values
- Individual team profiles
- Attendances
- Club revenue and wages comparison
- Social media followers
Report Scope
- The main aims of this report is to highlight the commercial landscape across the NFL. The report aims to break down the key commercial revenue streams for the league and its competing teams. It also offers a comprehensive overview of how the main commercial revenue streams for the league, highlighting its growth over a number of years, and provides in-depth analysis of the team commercial landscape.
Reasons to Buy
- The NFL is one of the biggest and most popular sports leagues in the world and in 2025 features many of the best players and teams in professional American football. The commercial value of the league continues to generate more revenue than any other major sports league globally.
Table of Contents
1. Event Introduction
2. Media Landscape
3. Sponsorship Landscape
4. Team Sponsorship
6. Global Expansion
7. 2025 NFL Draft
8. Super Bowl LX
9. Social Media
10. Stadium Economics
11. Ownership Activities
12. Quarterback Profiles
13. Appendix
