The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions once again, capping a remarkable 2025 NFL season with a dominant 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on . The win punctuated another year of impressive growth for the league, both on and off the field.
NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LX drew an estimated 124.9 million viewers in the United States, making it the second most-watched Super Bowl in history, surpassed only by last year’s contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Viewership peaked at 137.8 million during the telecast, demonstrating the NFL’s continued hold on the American television audience.
Beyond the championship game, the 2025 season saw regular season viewership climb year-over-year, franchise valuations soar, and sponsorship revenue continue its upward trajectory. The NFL’s financial health remains robust, solidifying its position as the most commercially lucrative sports league in the U.S.
Streaming Records Shattered
The NFL’s foray into streaming continued to yield impressive results in 2025. Netflix broke its own streaming record with the Detroit Lions versus Minnesota Vikings Christmas Day game, averaging 27.5 million viewers – exceeding the 27.2 million who tuned in for the 2024 Christmas game on the platform. That mark was then eclipsed in January when the Chicago Bears’ wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers averaged 31.61 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, marking the first NFL game to surpass 30 million viewers on a streaming service.
Traditional television also remained strong. CBS averaged 23.9 million viewers for its September 7th matchup between the Packers and the Lions, the network’s best opening-week audience in 27 years. The NFL’s ability to draw large audiences across both traditional and digital platforms underscores its broad appeal and adaptability in a changing media landscape.
The league’s international games also saw increased viewership. The Vikings’ win over the Cleveland Browns in London became the most-watched NFL Network London game on record, averaging 6.4 million viewers across television and digital platforms.
the NFL recorded its second most-watched regular season on record, averaging 18.7 million viewers. This represents a ten percent increase from 2024 and trails only the 1989 season, which averaged 19 million viewers. A key factor in the increased viewership was the implementation of Nielsen’s ‘Big Data + Panel’ measurement, combining household television viewing data with big data to provide more accurate audience measurements in the streaming era.
Sponsorship Dollars Surge
The NFL’s commercial appeal translated into significant sponsorship revenue growth. NFL teams generated a combined US$2.7 billion in sponsorship revenue during the 2025 season, an eight percent increase from the previous year. The financial, ticketing, beverage (alcohol), healthcare, and automotive categories led the way in terms of spending, with financial services contributing over US$300 million in sponsorship revenue.
More than 440 new brands invested in NFL sponsorship assets during the 2025 season, with technology companies adding the most new partnerships (39). The Dallas Cowboys led the league in sponsorship revenue, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Rams, the New England Patriots, and the Atlanta Falcons. The Tennessee Titans experienced the largest year-over-year growth in sponsorship revenue.
Several new partnerships were secured for the 2025 season, including deals with NetApp, Jersey Mike’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, Novartis, and Breitling. Existing agreements with Adobe and EA Sports were also extended. However, Visa will end its 30-year partnership with the NFL after the current contract expires in March, reportedly to be replaced by American Express in a seven-year deal worth US$910 million.
Franchise Valuations Reach New Heights
Stake sales in NFL franchises continued to command record valuations in 2025. Billionaire Julia Koch acquired a reported ten percent share in the New York Giants at a valuation exceeding US$10 billion. The New England Patriots sold an eight percent stake to private equity firm Sixth Street and billionaire Dean Metropoulos at a valuation in excess of US$9 billion. Pete Briger Jr. Purchased a 3.2 percent stake in the San Francisco 49ers, valuing the team at approximately US$8.6 billion.
Arctos Partners became the first private equity firm to hold stakes in multiple NFL teams, acquiring an eight percent share of the Los Angeles Chargers. The firm, which is currently being acquired by KKR in a US$1.4 billion deal, previously took a stake in the Buffalo Bills in December 2024.
For the first time, all 32 NFL teams are now valued at at least US$5 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates for 2025. The average franchise is worth US$7.1 billion, a 25 percent year-over-year increase. The Dallas Cowboys remain the most valuable franchise, with a valuation of US$13 billion – a 29 percent increase from the previous year and US$2.5 billion ahead of the second-ranked Los Angeles Rams.
Attendance Trends and International Expansion
Despite the league’s overall success, average attendance at NFL games dipped slightly in 2025, falling 0.8 percent year-over-year to 69,055. However, demand for tickets remains high, with 12 of the league’s 32 teams selling 100 percent or more of their posted capacity. The Dallas Cowboys led the league in total attendance, with 743,934 fans attending games at AT&T Stadium.
The NFL’s international games continued to draw strong crowds. The league played seven international games in 2025, up from five in 2024, across the UK, Germany, Brazil, Spain, and Ireland. Total international attendance rose 5.4 percent year-over-year to 481,341, with all games selling out. The NFL plans to play nine regular season games overseas in 2026, adding Australia and France as new host locations alongside a return to Mexico, signaling a continued commitment to global expansion.
