We have seen a decrease in time spent on traditional media outlets like television. This has given a rise to the importance of social media, as people now spend on average about 2 hours and 21 minutes per day on social media globally (Kumar, 2025).
This shift represents a great opportunity for companies like the NFL, which have traditionally been known for only having a presence on television. It is now crucial for teams to find ways to engage audiences of all ages via social media posts and videos to increase the viewers and in turn the revenue for the teams.
Increase in Younger Viewers and Revenue Caused by Social Media
The NFL has been at the forefront of social media engagement for a couple of years now, encouraging teams to post content about their players and to interact with fans. The goal is to create more engagement and to grow the sport’s interest worldwide. They managed to achieve this by increasing its international followers on its different channels by 20% in 2024 and creating over 12 million engagements on 2400 pieces of content (NFL, 2024). Social media engagement has become so important for the NFL that a study done by Winslow revealed that 63% of viewers watch the games while interacting on social media with their phones. Half of these viewers reported making merchandise purchases while watching live games (Winslow, 2025).
How celebrity engagement can help captivate audiences
A great example of the NFL being creative with social media posts was seen over the past two seasons, 2024-2025, by posting when Taylor Swift and other big celebrities were at games. This type of social media coverage between Taylor Swift and her star boyfriend Travis Kelce who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, has brought in an estimated 1 billion Us dollars in brand value in the form of advertisement deals, merchandise sales, and increased viewership for the NFL, according to Pro Football Network (PFSN, 2025).
It’s safe to say the NFL is currently on the right path with its social media presence already in place, but it will need to continue evolving with the younger generation as traditional TV and legacy media are of the past, and the future lies in streaming and social media.
References
NFL. (2024, February 13). Global audience of 62.5 million watched Super Bowl LVIII, an increase of 10 percent over 2023. NFL.com. https://www.nfl.com/news/global-audience-of-62-5-million-watched-super-bowl-lviii-an-increase-of-10-percent-over-2023
Truong, M. (2024, February 9). NFL viewers embrace interactive shopping and social experiences on game day. TV Technology. https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/nfl-viewers-embrace-interactive-shopping-and-social-experiences-on-game-day
Kumar, S. (2025, January 2). Average time spent on social media (2012–2025). DemandSage. https://www.demandsage.com/average-time-spent-on-social-media
Pro Football Network. (2025, February 5). The Taylor Swift effect: How she added brand value to the NFL since she started dating Travis Kelce. ProFootballNetwork.com. https://www.profootballnetwork.com/the-taylor-swift-effect-how-she-added-brand-value-to-nfl-since-she-started-dating-travis-kelce