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The NFL is looking at a massive international rights deal, following the success of the London and Brazil games. The league has been going international for years now in hopes of increasing its fanbase outside of North America.
According to Front Office Sports, the NFL is eyeing an eventual sale of a separate international package that could fetch more than $1 billion in rights fees. The NFL declined to comment on the report.
“That’s really all to be determined,” Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer, told Front Office Sports reporter Eric Fisher at the league’s fall meetings in Atlanta.
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“But there’s clearly been a focus on international, how we grow the game there, grow our commercial operations, grow the fan base. That certainly has a lot to do with how we do our game packages, both here and abroad. But we haven’t made any decisions yet.”
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According to the report, the NFL's goal is to get 18 games, which allows more NFL games to be played internationally. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also hinted at a Super Bowl eventually being played outside the U.S.
If the NFL does sell all the international games as its own media rights deal, Patrick Crakes, the former Fox Sports executive turned media consultant, told Front Office Sports he believes the NFL could get as much as $1.5 billion.
“I think they’ll move fast. Maybe in a year or so?” Crakes said. “Think they’d ask for at least $1 billion to $1.5 billion for 11 to 13 international games.”
The potential international media rights deal would allow for the NFL to have a 9:30 a.m. EDT kickoff every Sunday. It would create a fourth viewing window for NFL games on Sunday and bring in the league that much more money.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell not ruling out International Super Bowl
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has helped make the NFL international, and he isn't ruling out an international city eventually hosting the Super Bowl.
“We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city — that was always sort of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises,” Goodell said, via the Associated Press. “But things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”
The NFL has been trying to make the league worldwide and having its championship game overseas would certainly help. But there would be massive pushback as hosting the Super Bowl brings in millions of dollars of revenue to the city.
