Who Owns the NFL Brand?

A recent article on Forbes.com got me thinking – who really owns the NFL brand? The answer may surprise you.

The Business of the NFL

The National Football League is a business. A very successful business. In 2015, the NFL generated $12.5 billion in revenue. The NFL brand is worth an estimated $20 billion. The NFL is the most popular sport in the United States. Football is a religion to many Americans. The NFL has built an empire.

The NFL’s Business Model

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

The league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Geographic divisions were implemented for efficiency in 1967, when the league realigned into two conferences with four divisions each:the AFC East (Boston Patriots [now New England Patriots], Buffalo Bills, New York Jets [originally Titans of New York], and Miami Dolphins), AFC Central (Baltimore Colts [now Indianapolis Colts], Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns [temporarily inactive 2002–2004], Houston Oilers [now Tennessee Titans], and Pittsburgh Steelers), NFC East (Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins),and NFC Central (Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings). Today, there are four divisions: AFC East (Buffalo Bills; Miami Dolphins; New England Patriots; and New York Jets), AFC North (Baltimore Ravens; Cincinnati Bengals; Cleveland Browns; and Pittsburgh Steelers), NFC East(Dallas Cowboys; New York Giants; Philadelphia Eagles; Washington Redskins),and NFC West(Arizona Cardinals; Los Angeles Rams [formerly St.

About 1/3 of all NFL revenue comes from broadcasting contracts with FOX ($1.1 billion per year through 2011), CBS ($860 million per year through 2013), NBC ($650 million per year through 2014) and ESPN ($1.1 billion per year through 2021). In 2011 ABC/ESPN Monday Night Football brought in an average rating of 11.4% while Thursday Night Football on NFL Network was watched by 3% of all homes with televisions during its first season.

The NFL’s Brand

The NFL’s brand is one of the most valuable in all of sports. The league’s 32 teams are worth an estimated $77 billion, and the NFL itself brings in about $13 billion in annual revenue.

But who actually owns the NFL brand? It’s a complicated question, but the simple answer is that the NFL owns the rights to the name and logo, while each team owns the rights to its own team name and logo.

The league has long controlled how its brand is used, carefully vetting any companies that want to use the NFL logo or name in their products. In recent years, though, the NFL has begun to loosen its grip on its brand, licensing it to more companies and allowing teams to use their logos on more products.

The result is that the NFL’s brand is now appearing on everything from video games to women’s underwear. And while some worry that this dilutes the value of the brand, others see it as a savvy way to keep generating revenue as the league continues to grow.

The NFL’s Brand Equity

How much is the NFL brand worth? This is a question that has been debated for years. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry and its brand equity is through the roof. But who actually owns the NFL brand? The answer may surprise you.

The NFL’s Brand Equity Model

The National Football League’s (NFL) brand equity has been built upon a foundation of tradition, stability, and excellence. The NFL has long been considered the premier professional American football league, and its brand equity is reflected in its financial success. In recent years, the NFL has been the most profitable sports league in the world, with estimated annual revenues of over $13 billion.1

The NFL’s brand equity can be measured using a brand equity model. This model assesses three primary dimensions of the NFL brand: customer-based brand equity, financial-based brand equity, and structural-based brand equity.

Customer-based brand equity refers to the NFL’s ability to generate positive customer attitudes and behaviors towards the league.2 Key drivers of customer-based brand equity for the NFL include customer loyalty, customer awareness, and customer perceptions.3

Financial-based brand equity refers to the impact of the NFL brand on financial performance.4 Key drivers of financial-based brand equity for the NFL include revenue growth, profitability, and shareholder value.5

Structural-basedbrand equity refers to the strength of theNFL’s organizational capabilities and resources.6 Key drivers of structural-basedbrand equity fortheNFLinclude competitive advantage, stakeholder support, and sustainable growth potential.7

The NFL’s Brand Equity Drivers

The NFL’s brand equity is built on many different factors that work together to create a strong, recognizable brand. The league has been able to effectively leverage its assets to build a powerful brand that is trusted and beloved by fans around the world. The following are some of the key drivers of the NFL’s brand equity:

– A long history and tradition of excellence dating back to 1920
– A strong commitment to making the game accessible to all fans through initiatives like the NFL Sunday Ticket
– A wide range of official products and merchandise that allow fans to show their support for their favorite team
– A comprehensive marketing strategy that includes high-profile partnerships with major brands like Pepsi and Bud Light
– A team of talented and dedicated staff members who work hard to ensure that the sport remains entertaining and exciting
– An unwavering commitment to player safety, which has helped to make the sport one of the most popular in the world

The NFL’s Brand Value

After a tumultuous year, the NFL’s brand value has taken a beating. But who owns the NFL brand? The answer may surprise you. According to a recent study, the NFL brand is worth $32 billion. But that number doesn’t tell the whole story.

The NFL’s Brand Value Model

The NFL’s brand value is based on a number of factors, including the quality of its product, the strength of its marketing and merchandising, and the value of its media rights.

In terms of the quality of its product, the NFL has consistently been rated as the most popular sport in the United States. The league has also done a good job of creating a product that is attractive to a global audience, with games being broadcast in more than 200 countries and territories.

The strength of the NFL’s marketing and merchandising is evident in the fact that the league generates more than $9 billion in annual revenue. The NFL has been able to tap into a number of different revenue streams, including ticket sales, sponsorship, and licensing.

The value of the NFL’s media rights has been increasing steadily in recent years. The league currently has deals in place with a number of major broadcasters, including CBS, FOX, and NBC. These deals are worth a combined $4.5 billion per year.

The NFL’s Brand Value Drivers

The NFL’s brand value is perpetuated by a number of key drivers, chief among them being the league’s massive television contracts. The NFL currently has nine-year, $27 billion deal with ESPN that began in 2014, as well as a 10-year, $28.2 billion contract with FOX that started in 2013. These agreements grant each network the right to broadcast NFL games on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays respectively. In addition, the NFL has an eight-year, $11 billion contract with CBS for Sunday games, and a four-year, $4.4 billion contract with NBC for Sunday Night Football.

In total, the NFL earns approximately $7.3 billion per year from its television partners. This revenue is split evenly among the league’s 32 teams. Of this sum, approximately 70% is generated from broadcast rights fees, while the remaining 30% comes from advertising revenue sharing and other sources.

In addition to television contracts, the NFL also generates considerable revenue from ticket sales, merchandise sales, and sponsorship deals. The league signed a five-year extension of its partnerships with T-Mobile and Verizon in 2013 that are worth a combined $3.5 billion. These two companies are now the NFL’s official wireless service providers. Other major sponsors include Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), PepsiCo (PEP), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), and Visa (V).