Every Sunday evening in Germany, thousands gather to watch NFL broadcasts. On RTL, a channel that also broadcasts reality shows such as ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ and talent shows like ‘Germany’s Got Talent’, German football fans can watch two back-to-back games free. This easy-access broadcasting is attracting more Europeans to American football. The national excitement culminates when the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers compete in the international series’ final game on home soil at the Allianz Arena.
The NFL has been building a dedicated audience in Germany since RTL started broadcasting regular-season games in 2023 after securing exclusive free-to-air rights. On average, RTL attracted 710,000 viewers during 7 pm games, significantly more than the previous year when matches aired on another free-to-air channel, ProSieben. Similarly, the Super Bowl saw over 1.7 million German fans tune in, compared to merely 761,000 and 996,000 in the UK.
Patrick Esume, an expert NFL commentator on RTL and commissioner of the European League of Football, aims to build a passionate fan base for American football in Germany and provide deep insights about the game. Esume sees the upcoming international series games as equivalent to the Super Bowl. He credits free NFL coverage as a game-changer, significantly pushing the sport and NFL’s popularity up. However, for dedicated fans, there is also increased access to content through paid services such as DAZN, NFL League Pass, and RTL+.
The NFL has found a passionate fan base amidst Bundesliga soccer fans who appreciate the sport’s unpredictability and physicality. Daniel Jensen, host of NFL-dedicated podcast ‘Footballerei Show,’ claims that relatively predictable Bundesliga matches might have contributed to the surge in NFL’s popularity, particularly as there were several different Super Bowl winners during times of tiresome-league dominance. The record-breaking viewership of the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins game in Frankfurt supports this claim, having attracted an online queue of over 1.4 million within two minutes.
Instagram trends and fan-following suggest that the Chiefs, the Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks are amongst the most popular NFL teams in Germany. As part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, ten NFL teams have marketing rights in Germany to expand their brand and fandom. This expansion is complemented by the growing success of the European contingent in NFL, including German fullback Jakob Johnson and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown who have dual citizenship. Esume adds that former players turned RTL experts in Germany, such as Markus Kuhn and Sebastian Vollmer, are popular figures amongst fans.
Despite the surge in popularity, there is still significant work to be done in promoting playing football in Germany, as the sport lags significantly behind basketball in terms of the player base. NFL hopes that flag football, a non-contact version of the game that is making its debut at the 2028 Olympics, will help rectify this. The NFL Academy in the UK has also been successful, with over 40 students securing US scholarships and 19 playing in the NCAA Division 1 this season. Bringing such an initiative to Germany may be the next step in boosting NFL’s popularity among the local populace.
