SAN JOSE — Amid accelerating change across the media business, the NFL is approaching its upcoming opt-outs in its domestic media rights deals with one consistent goal: maximizing both reach and revenue.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already signaled that talks with networks and streamers could begin as soon as this year in advance of an opt-out after the 2029 season in most of its current deals. As that happens, the league is sticking to a core approach that goes back to the days before cable television.
“What we focus on is ‘How do we reach the broadest number of people, on every broadcast? How do we make an event out of that?’” Goodell said in response to a Front Office Sports question at the commissioner’s annual Super Bowl press conference. “We select our partners in part for that reason. Economics are obviously part of that, the value that’s created. But at the end of the day, we want partners who are going to broaden our audience.”
That fundamental strategy applies to over-the-air distribution, cable, and streaming, and with the latter in particular, Goodell lauded the efforts of incumbent rights holders Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube to help bring a younger audience to the NFL.
“We see a shift in the audience. We’ve all seen it,” he said. “The media landscape is changing dramatically. New platforms that didn’t exist five years ago now exist. That’s where our fans are in many cases, particularly the younger demographic.”
Similarly, Goodell said the recent completion of a large-scale agreement with ESPN—which includes the inclusion of NFL Network into ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service under that outlet’s control—“will open additional opportunities.”
Raising the Bar
Goodell’s sentiment arrives as the NFL has enjoyed a banner season that included viewership milestones in the conference championship round, during the divisional playoffs, the wild-card round, the regular season, and on streaming.
“We spend a large amount of our time on media because that is one of the most significant ways we interact with our fans, and engage with our fans,” he said.
With the run of audience increases, the league is certainly interested in garnering a sizable increase from the more than $10 billion per year it collectively gets in domestic rights, and Goodell is already on record thinking the NFL’s rights are “undervalued.”
