NFL Engagement Survey
The average NFL Fan reports they will watch more than 100 hours of NFL this year
With the 2023 NFL season just hours away, a staggering number of Americans will be tuning in on the action. The NFL has continued to see rapid growth in viewership and revenue over the past decade, our data reveals almost a fifth (18%) of Americans will watch six hours or more of the sport each week during the season. On average, those who watch football spend a total of more than 100 hours watching games throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Over a quarter (26%) of men watch six hours plus each week (compared to 11% of women), including 10% who watch 12 hours or more.
Millennials and Gen Xers dedicate the largest amount of time to watching the NFL, with 21% of millennials and 20% of Gen Xers watching at least six hours each week, while 15% of Boomers and 14% of Gen Zers also watch a minimum of six hours of the sport weekly.
NFL RedZone boosts engagement
While NFL RedZone can be viewed as a competitor to traditional broadcast channels or other revenue generating channels like NFL Sunday Ticket, the NFL should be nothing but grateful, and has experienced explosive growth since its inception.
Three in five (62%) say that watching football on NFL Redzone has meant they follow the sport more in general, while 59% say they now follow specific players across the league more. Almost half (45%) of Americans have attended more games, 56% play daily fantasy football more, and 47% play season long fantasy football more as a result of watching NFL RedZone.
Fantasy and RedZone captures female fans
The NFL has long desired to capture the attention of female fans. Our data shows that having “skin in the game” has been an extremely successful tactic for the league.
This avenue of engagement is turning into direct revenue for the NFL and its partners, as 31% of females who watch RedZone report betting on Daily Fantasy as a result of watching commercial free football on Sundays.
Two of every five females who watch RedZone on Sundays report following players across the league, indicating they’re becoming fans of the sport as a whole and not just their local market’s teams.
What could the future hold?
Earlier this year, Major League Baseball introduced a pitch clock in an effort to increase the pace and shorten the length of games to cater to younger audiences. Looking to the future of the NFL, over a quarter (28%) of Americans believe a similar rule change to increase excitement would have a positive effect on people’s interest in the sport, with 13% think it would have a significantly positive impact. This rises to 37% among males who think it could be a positive introduction, with 38% of millennials and 35% of Gen Z agreeing.
