The NFL is confident it will host regular-season games in Germany by '17, according to a league official. NFL Int'l Exec VP Mark Waller told SBD Global he would be "very disappointed" if the league does not stage games in the country in the next three years. The NFL, which has focused its int'l efforts largely on the U.K., believes the time has come to apply its London experience to other markets. "We feel the time is right," Waller said. During the annual NFL owners meeting in March, league officials declared Brazil, Canada, China, Germany and Mexico are target markets for its int'l expansion plans. Germany's strong fan base together with its stadium infrastructure make the country an attractive market for the league, Waller said. He confirmed that several German cities have contacted the league and announced their interest in hosting a game. Waller did not name the cities, but media reports identified them as Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. Before making a decision on a potential host, NFL officials will visit the cities and stadiums in the next few months as part of their assessment work. Waller said that city support is an important selection criteria. "Getting an understanding from each city of how important this will be for them and how they will help make sure it’s a success is obviously an important element." NFL owners understand the best way to grow the game outside the U.S. is by playing games, Waller added. "There's no real substitute of being there. We’ve seen that in the U.K." However, it also means giving up a home game, which is not an easy decision knowing that teams have only eight regular-season home games. Considering this predicament, the league makes sure home teams do not lose out in terms of gameday revenue when agreeing to play abroad. Waller said teams receive the same revenues as if the game would have been played in their home stadium.
GETTING ON SCREEN: Other than selecting a suitable host venue, Waller said, the league is focused on increasing its media distribution in Germany. "We’ve had TV partners who are willing to take postseason games and the Super Bowl," he said. "But we’ve had very limited success in getting season-long distribution, particularly on free-to-air." While Waller admitted he has no idea yet of how to solve this problem, he is confident the league will find a solution in the next couple of months. The NFL currently airs on German subscription-based TV channel Sport1 US, which shows up to seven games per week. In addition, free-to-air TV channel Sat.1 picked up a number of postseason games and Super Bowl XLIX last season. Waller pointed to the NFL's broadcast deals in the U.K., where a combination of Sky Sports and Channel 4 provides the league with exposure on pay and free-TV. "We need to build a similar base platform in Germany." He added that conversations with German broadcasters are taking place at the moment, but did not provide any further specifics. The NFL is also available through the league's online subscription service, GamePass. The service, however, is targeted more toward existing fans of the game, Waller said. "The important thing for us is if we are going to grow we need products that are much more accessible for people who are just starting to be fans and coming into the game." Waller added that the number of NFL London games would not be affected by an additional regular-season game in Germany. "I hope we would find a way to play more than three games."
