A dramatic shift is underway in the NFL’s approach to broadcasting, with the advent of streaming services promising a drastically different fan experience. Fox’s free streaming option recently recorded an unprecedented high, boasting a peak of 15.5 million simultaneous streaming viewers for the Super Bowl, with an average of 13.6 million active viewers per minute. Such figures, unsurpassed in linear primetime games, are an indicator of the potential for streaming services in capturing the rapidly growing cord-cutting audience. These numbers have been encouraging for the NFL and its network partners, suggesting the immense prospects for ad revenue generation afforded by free streaming.
However, the real transformation lies in the NFL’s new focus on subscription-based streaming. The time is now upon us where exclusive linear TV content is no more, marking a significant reorientation in the NFL’s content delivery strategy. This development was confirmed recently with Fox unveiling its plans to introduce a new, standalone, subscription-oriented streaming service, expected to be operational by 2025 end.
Another platform is also set to make its debut later this year, with an ambitious goal of capturing the forthcoming NFL season. With this move, all NFL distribution partners will, for the first time, transcend traditional television and cater to viewers lacking a regular pay TV subscription. The shift represents a pivotal moment in televised sports history and a symbol of the eroding old-school pay TV model.
For a long time, the NFL has served as a stronghold against the steady outflow of cord-cutters, as evidenced by the league’s dominant presence in primetime viewership – with 45 out of the top 100 most-watched primetime telecasts in 2024. Among the top 10, two were playoff games broadcasted on Fox, which required a pay TV subscription. A replication of this success could provide a boost to all parties involved — a larger NFL viewer base, and expansion of both ad revenue and subscriptions for media companies.
However, expectations are more realistic, as it’s anticipated for the new streaming platforms to further diminish traditional TV subscriptions and revenue in the process, urging the league to ramp up its streaming services expeditiously. The horizon of 2029 emerges as an imposing challenge to media, marking the potential contractual exit point for the NFL.
Even though current indications lean toward the league maintaining its existing agreements, the span of four years is considerable enough for a decisive shift toward streaming. The past few years have indeed borne witness to the radical evolution in media consumption habits. Allowing for this, the NFL has already begun opening up to new partnerships with streaming platforms for annual and playoff games.
The probability of the league actively seeking out better deals as soon as the opportunity presents itself in 2029 seems high. This stance is largely attributable to the eagerness of streaming services to obtain any portion of the NFL they possibly can, given the immense popularity the league holds for both audiences and advertisers alike.
However, there is a flip side to this coin — a rise in customer grievances about the scattering of sports coverage and the creeping subscription exhaustion. Nevertheless, the NFL is in a position to carve a pathway that navigates around these issues. It’s virtually a natural law in the digital age – wherever the NFL ventures, the admirers will undoubtedly follow.