It is often said that American football is the sport of the United States; an opinion supported by research showing that more than half of the US population believes that American football represents this definition. It is therefore not surprising that, having consolidated its position as the leading sport in the United States, the National Football League (NFL) has stepped up its efforts to globalize American football in recent years, bringing it to new audiences around the world through its growing array of international games.
This year there will be five in total: Rio De Janeiro last September, Munich last weekend, which encompassed the three London matches which took place in October at Tottenham Hotspur’s state-of-the-art stadium. There has been speculation that this number could be as high as 16 games in foreign cities, with eight scheduled for next season and rumors of a custom $1 billion media rights package in the works.
So, are these international matches helping to generate new support for the NFL in target markets like the UK? Taking sports betting as a strong indicator of consumer interest, new data from Paddy Power shows the NFL has been successful in its aim, with American football now the third most popular sport to bet on for the brand’s active customers in the UK and Ireland to this day, after football and horse racing. This is an improvement from 10th place in 2019, just five years ago, and surpasses well-established and popular global sports such as golf, boxing and tennis.
David Curran, Head of Commercial at Paddy Power, one of Flutter’s leading brands in the UK, with a strong heritage in sports betting, lists four key factors – “organic growth in interest in the NFL, an improved product offering, the positive effect resulting from the growth of the football business and our renewed strategic focus on the NFL” – the basis of this change.
The first growth driver for the UK NFL betting market is likely to be linked to increased TV audiences and better coverage of international NFL games on Sky Sports and other channels. The London matches start earlier (2.30pm GMT), as opposed to the traditional 6pm matches, making them more accessible. With the presence of the NFL on UK TV channels for several years, there is an increased awareness of the games in London among Paddy Power customers in the UK and Ireland.
As a result, the number of active customers betting on London games increased by 25% and wagering by 30%, higher than the overall growth of the NFL (21% of active customers and 25% of wagering compared to 2023). This increase in interest suggests customers are becoming accustomed to earlier start times than traditional evening game times.
Paddy Power customers also benefit from FanDuel’s investment and innovation in NFL products in the US, which offer a broad range of team and player markets. Thanks to Flutter’s global betting platform, innovations are also being rapidly transferred to Paddy Power, which has led to an increase in the percentage of bets on “BetBuilders” (combined bets on a single match) from 29% in 2023 to 34% in the first weeks of the 2024 season.
Additionally, Flutter’s expertise in risk management and trading operations further strengthens the offering for NFL clients globally, with approximately 100 specialists supporting FanDuel from its Dublin headquarters.
Finally, many Paddy Power customers, known to be football fans, are showing a growing interest in American football. This has led to increased promotional activity on the NFL, using innovative tools such as Paddy Power’s BetBuilder. With a contract featuring at least two NFL games in London every year until 2029, American football’s popularity among British bettors is set to grow further.
The NFL betting market in the UK is growing thanks to the increased visibility of London matches, innovation in betting products and the growing affinity between American football and soccer. With the increase in early match betting and the evolution of the betting offering through BetBuilders, interest in the NFL among UK punters is set to continue to increase.
PressGiochi
