The NFL certainly feels like the king of American sports. They generate north of $13B in annual revenue. That doesn’t that is enough for the empire Roger Goodell has helped expand.
After NBC and the NBA agreed to a contract for Sunday Night basketball, it was revealed the NBA will be paid $2.45B per year. The NFL makes slightly less than at $2B per year.
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To a degree, you can understand why the NFL is agitated over this. Their viewership and brand is much stronger than that over the NBA.
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NBC Sunday Night Football personalities Jac Collinsworth (left) and Tony Dungy (middle) are joined by recording artist Snoop Dogg (right) on the set before the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
For reference, the NFL’s Christmas Day performance saw a 27.5M viewership for one game versus the NBA’s 5.5M. It’s clear the NFL product is much more valuable. Is it worth a fuss over $450M margin?
After all, the league is doing plenty well both in the owners’ and player’s pockets. The NFL is expecting their salary cap to make another historic jump in 2026. In essence, the NFL is making up for that margin and then some.
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However, while the professional sports leagues all sail on similar waters, they all want to show off their boats. The NFL reportedly could look into their opt-out clause in the deal set to expire in 2029.
Feb 9, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (right) and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pose with the MVP trophy during the Super Bowl LX winning head coach and most valuable player press conference at Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
One might think NBC will simply raise their annual revenue pay-out to the NFL. Time will tell what the league decides to do. You can bet that if they do opt out, there will be plenty of streaming services ready to bid.
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