NFL Marketing Partnerships 2023
Just when you think the NFL can’t fly any higher, the league’s popularity soars to new heights. NFL regular-season games averaged the most viewers since 2015, and the second highest since averages were first tracked in 1995. The wild-card playoffs drew nearly 137 million fans—the second largest total audience on record.
- NFL team sponsorship revenue surged 15%, from $2.05B in 2022–23 to $2.35B in 2023–24
- Defensive lineman Isaac Rochell, a free agent, surpassed the seemingly ubiquitous Travis Kelce as the most endorsed NFL player this season, with 27 brand deals
- Thanks to new tourism board sponsorships, Government led the list of categories with the highest increase in number of deals at 57%
Methodology:
Our NFL annual report was jointly authored by SponsorUnited's Marketing Research and Analytics department, presents an extensive analysis of over 2,100 brands, 3,500 sponsorship deals, and 49,000 sponsorship assets involving the NFL and its teams, athletes, and brands. This data was obtained from SponsorUnited's proprietary platform and covers the period from September 1st, 2019 to January 8th, 2024.
Social media data is obtained from branded posts on the NFL league account, and the accounts of the 32 NFL teams across Instagram, TikTok, X, and Facebook from June 1st, 2023 to January 8th, 2024. NFL player endorsements are monitored based on the number of times they actively promote or advertise a brand via campaigns, activations within the past 12 months.
About SponsorUnited:
Launched in 2018, SponsorUnited is the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform, delivering actionable data and insights to build stronger marketing partnerships. We provide unrivaled knowledge across the sponsorship and media landscape so our clients can make impactful decisions that drive business.
With over 340,000 brands, 1.6 million deals, and 11.4 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent, our SaaS database enables brands, rights holders, and agencies to partner more effectively. By delivering real-time trends, on-demand research, and the most comprehensive data available, we connect the entire sponsorship ecosystem and are rewriting the partnership playbook.
