The NFL rode the added 17th week into what plans to be a great offseason with markets and storylines galore. While we all look forward to playoff action, kudos to some of the best business initiatives that shouldn’t be missed from this past fall, all of which again are noteworthy and remind us how the big leagues can use platforms to bring big ideas to life. In addition to below check out the Axios summary of the regular season here.
Beyond The Borders – The announcement of an expansion of territories for NFL teams to market to will not only bring in new revenue and partners but will give teams the ability to focus on areas of fan development while the league takes the bigger picture in the world. Whether this takes place in value add and expansion of existing partners, like we saw with the 49ers working with partners now in Mexico, or if it brings in new brands from abroad looking to engage with a clear path to the NFL in cities like New York and Boston and LA is all to be determined, but the path, and the opportunities are now much clearer. Also let’s not also overlook the opportunities with media in those markets and what customized streams in non-English languages…or even ways data can be used to engage with fans on a mobile device (for sports gambling or just enjoyment) …can also do for fan development. There have been seeds in place, now they can sprout around the world in the gardens created team by team.
Blockchain engagement- The NBA led with Topshot and their partnership with Dapper Labs, but the NFL adapted and even expanded their own initiatives, with Blockchain and compelling NFT offerings as well as other ways tech will fit into fan engagement. The NFL launched their Dapper partnership with “NFL ALL Day,” as well as creating NFT trading cards with Panini and tickets with Ticketmaster that have embedded metadata and special fan elements included. More will be coming as the user experience continues to improve, and the public develops a deeper affinity with the technology and the ability to have so much on a mobile device.
Manningcast, Nickelodeon and then some- Hard to argue that the Manningcast wasn’t the biggest broadcast engagement of the year and will set a new level for what can be done not just on air but in various custom streaming offerings fans can get (now on select broadcasts with the Twitch/Amazon relationship) or will be able to soon. The playoff game which will have a Nickelodeon expansion of the early 2021 success between Nick and CBS will be another step forward, as will elements like CBS has also down with “Romocam,” and all the bells and whistles tied to that for extra data visualization tied to broadcasts. By using the personalities, the data and the partnerships the NFL again gave us buzz and substance best practices that will be expanded across sports from these initial large vision and bold tests of the market.
How streaming also factors into partnerships around media elements that fans already love…NFL Red Zone, Game Pass, all the NFL Network offerings for example will also be interesting to watch as the verticals all become robust and even more aligned.
Also lets not sleep on what the expanded broadcast agreement with Amazon will bring, not just in dedicated custom streaming but in fan engagement as well.
NFL Media Expands Its Reach- The step to move “Hard Knocks” in season with the Indianapolis Colts and give fans insight into the almost real time decisions being made in a COVID ravaged season was another example of how owned media created by the league can be deep and compelling. We have seen many of the popular look back inside pieces that have grabbed hold of everyone from the NHL to Formula One (and the NHL’s 24/7 Winter Classic series also broke ground here for several years), but there has not been a robust, season-long, living in the moment with one team foray while games are ongoing as the one with the Colts that was done, and it was done because of the skill and the vision of NFL Media and NFL Films. Needless to say, the test was passed, and we will probably be seeing more of this in the future on any device one chooses. Also, in the mix will probably be more leaning forward in partnerships from NFL media and Films to make sure that the assets the league can bring to bear in and around films, documentaries and other large content plays being done by independent parties looks, feels and resonates with fans as the real deal. Could the football pieces in American Underdog for example been a little better, or the story told even more robustly behind the scenes with some additional NFL media work? Maybe, but those types of deeper dives we will be seeing more of going forward as the grasp gets a little bigger.
Steve and Ed Sabol are smiling down from above.
Sports Betting- The space continues to expand with partnerships and engagement, and certainly won’t be slowing down as we see custom streaming channels dedicated to betting in the future. However, another implementation of note from the league was the establishment of using authentic NFL clips and highlights in sports betting apps for the first time. Content and engagement drives interest and being able to have images and video is a next gen step up in the betting space for those NFL partners.
Ticketing and Other In Stadium Features- The Pandemic accelerated the move to mobile even faster, but we saw teams even with open air stadia, go all in on mobile ticketing, and in many venues, expanded mobile ordering and delivery for food, beverage and other fan-centric programs. With disposable income even more on the table, and fans realizing that the full season NFL experience may lead to questions because their in-home experience is getting better, teams have started to step up (5G will also help) to make that “being there” experience in person as valuable and robust as watching online or on the couch market by market. A quiet focus on things which might have been sacrilege in some markets…group tickets, value add, individual game tickets…is also helping the league find casual fans who are more interested in coming to an event, an NFL game, once, whereas in past years the opportunity was never there before. Hey we would all like full houses with season subs (especially since we can better use data to customize those experiences) but making sure every fan, every game has the best in class experience is even more of a priority than ever before, and technology and data are helping teams get there better and faster than ever before.
Those are the topline kudos, many of which continue to be nuanced and enhanced in real time as head towards Super Bowl. All are noteworthy and evolutionary as the gridiron and its reach continues to heat up during this cold winter. It’s great to literally see the growth before us, with more to come.
