NFL Revenue Streams

The NFL divides its revenue streams into two categories: national revenue and local revenue. National revenue consists primarily of rights paid by media companies to telecast, broadcast or stream games, along with merchandising and licensing contracts, which are negotiated at the national level by the league itself.

This money is divided evenly among the 32 teams regardless of each team’s on-field performance. Local revenue–derived from things like ticket sales, concessions, local stadium advertising, and the team’s corporate sponsors, including naming rights to stadiums–is earned by the teams themselves and, accordingly, varies from team to team.

During the season, NFL games are broadcast live in the United States on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays, with additional special dates on Saturdays and holidays. The NFL has TV deals in place with Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX, NBC through the 2033 season, and a new 10-year deal with Google’s YouTube for its NFL Sunday Ticket service.