In 2024, eight NFL media stories fascinated people. Tom Brady made significant strides in his broadcasting career, but there were doubts about the sustainability of his double roles as Las Vegas Raiders owner and analyst. Netflix successfully debuted an NFL package, showcasing games and shifting its focus from sport-adjacent programming to owning sports rights. Meanwhile, Peacock made waves as it aired a regular-season NFL game from South America for the first time, with the Philadelphia Eagles versus Green Bay Packers. This milestone marked a huge success for both the league and the streaming platform as it scored impressive viewership numbers.
The international reach of NFL grew in 2024, with a plan to play eight international games in 2025, including in Spain. NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, and Kansas City Chiefs owner, Clark Hunt, have indicated the possibility of playing 16 games overseas annually. The Super Bowl LVIII in February saw a record-breaking viewership across television and streaming platforms, becoming the highest-rated program in history according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics data. An impressive 123.7 million viewers tuned in to see the Chiefs narrowly beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.
The NFL landscape in 2024 also saw a rise in alternate broadcasts. ESPN+ and Disney+ delivered a unique viewing experience with a “Simpsons” animated “Monday Night Football”, while NBC Sports launched its NFL alternate broadcast on Peacock. Alongside this, Nickelodeon and ESPN also provided unique “Toy Story” and Manning Brothers broadcasts respectively.
Popular podcast ‘New Heights’, hosted by former and current NFL athletes Jason and Travis Kelce, secured a deal with Amazon’s podcast network, Wondery. The show now ranks among the biggest podcasts in the United States and boasts a large following on YouTube. Wondery plans to translate the podcast into different languages to appeal to markets such as the United Kingdom and Mexico, which have a strong NFL fan base.
Significant changes were also made to the broadcasting rules to enhance the game content. These included in-game coach interviews, pregame player interviews, network pregame locker room coverage, preseason player interviews, and coaches’ booth network cameras. While the NFL was court-ordered to pay $4.7 billion in a “Sunday Ticket” antitrust trial, the decision was later overturned. The case now will proceed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Overall, the shifts in NFL media have significantly impacted the ways games are viewed, encompassing multi-cultural perspectives and different viewing experiences. This expansion of media rights has also showcased the growing popularity and commercial appeal of NFL across multiple platforms.
