Lessons from Channel 5’s NFL strategy

The NFL isn’t just America’s game anymore. With Super Bowl viewership surging by 10% outside of the USA last year to 62.5 million, and NFL Game Pass subscriptions on DAZN jumping 23%, the league is clearly conquering new territory. And nowhere is this more evident than in the UK, where Nielsen Sports reports the NFL fanbase has nearly doubled since 2021.

Put simply, it’s a powerhouse. Hardcore sports fans like myself have been drawn to the NFL for decades. We have tuned in at American sports bars, live events, and through official broadcast channels like Sky Sports NFL, which pulls in record-breaking audiences year after year. 

But, as 5 and Paramount announce their plans to bring American football to free-to-air television for the casual sports watcher, the league has set its sights beyond avid fans in the UK. In the process, we’re seeing a masterclass in conversion, led by reinvention and a keen sense of cultural translation. 

Changing the playbook 

As a sport, American football often faces the same criticism. It’s stop-start, with timeouts and stoppages interrupting the flow of the game. In stadiums, these moments are already highly gamified, filled with a mix of entertainment, music, and other fan engagement activations.

Brand-led moments are also gaining more traction, serving as the perfect bridge during game pauses. At the NFL London Games, for example, former lead sponsor Subway used these moments to run competitions like “Win A Sub” on the big screen, presenting one fan with a platter of sandwiches in their seat. It’s light, silly, and keeps the brand central while fans are looking for a distraction. 

At home, broadcasters need to balance these valuable ad slots with entertainment to keep audiences away from their second screen.

Whereas more hardcore fans might turn to gameplay statistics and intense analysis, these gaps present a problem for the casual fan. In the age of distraction, it’s not just about filling pauses; it’s about ensuring the sport remains the focus, wherever fans are watching. 

A game within a game

5’s broadcast rights will see the channel air two Sunday night matches under the banner of ‘NFL Big Game Night’, with the content produced by Hungry Bear Media. Clocking in at nearly four hours, the show will air the game alongside an in-studio tournament, pairing two teams of friends or family with an on-field NFL team for the chance to win a trip to the US. 

It’s a dual-pronged strategy, converting each timeout, point scored, incomplete pass or foul into an in-studio mini game to keep viewers’ attention, whilst giving casual viewers someone to root for. 

It’s a brave call from 5. No one has tried to bring the NFL to casual fans this side of the pond this way before, but it aligns with what modern broadcasters are constantly trying to achieve: holding people’s attention for as long as possible and creating fans to sell richer ad slots. 

5 isn’t alone in this shift; the industry is moving towards more interactive experiences during live sports. Amazon, for example, just launched new ad formats that will allow viewers to interact directly with brands in real time during Champions League matches, turning passive watching into an active, personalised experience. ITV’s on it too, with its recently unveiled interactive lead gen formats opening up similar opportunities for match-time engagement, enabling viewers to interact directly with brands by signalling their interest in ads via their remote.

Cultural integration

From kisscams to Thanksgiving Day games, a lot of what makes the NFL so successful is its unapologetically American roots. As the sport looks to take hold in the UK, finding that balance with more international cultural behaviours and habits is fundamental. 

The NFL is bold. It’s high drama, but with a playful twist, and that’s contagious. And that’s exactly what makes 5’s choice of co-hosts a potentially differentiating masterstroke. As the host of two of our biggest cultural giants, Big Brother and The X Factor, Dermot O’Leary is a familiar face who can inject the right tone, supported by years of playing American football as a teenager. Co-hosts and athletes-turned-pundits Sam Quek and Osi Umenyiora can pull back the curtain on the trials and tribulations of professional sport, while comedian Troy Hawke keeps it light.

The hosts’ backgrounds in entertainment aren’t just a clever way to attract and keep new fans engaged but a crucial point of differentiation. However, by the time the late game starts at 9pm, viewers can expect a more conventional, yet still entertaining broadcast. It’s a one-two that puts 5 in a position to convert, educate and retain the NFL’s growing international fanbase. 

This strategy makes clear that 5 is purposefully trying to set itself apart from Sky Sports’ output that’s focused on the more hardcore fans. Simply replicating Sky’s established format would make it hard for 5 to build its own audience. Perhaps this skew towards entertainment is exactly what will make the coverage stand out and resonate with new fans only just starting to explore the game. 

Ready to tackle something new?

As the NFL expands its efforts to reach British audiences, creativity, cultural integration, and consideration are key. 5 has a chance to put a British spin on the NFL’s own playful brand, and I’m excited to see how audiences will react to a vastly different playbook.

The British public has shown its openness to new sporting occasions, getting behind the Lionesses, turning out in droves for the Hundred, and now dialling up their interest in the NFL. 

The question now is how far this appetite for experimentation can stretch - and whether Britain’s broadcasters and brands can keep innovating to meet a fast-growing audience.

Alex Brown is head of sport and entertainment at EssenceMediacom, a WPP brand