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As NFL Pushes Deeper Into Overseas Market, Profit Proves Elusive

The NFL shield "is again flying beside the Union Jacks on Regent Street," according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. Banners with pictures of players like Blake Bortles and Ryan Tannehill "are plastered near Wembley Stadium." Fans from all corners of Europe "are arriving in jerseys eager to tailgate." In what is now an annual rite of fall, the NFL "is back in London to play regular-season games, the main pillar of its bid to find new riches overseas and build what is already" a $12B-a-year business. By some measures, hosting games in London "has been a success." All but one of the 14 games played in London "have sold out, including the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, when the one-millionth fan will pass through the turnstiles." And TV viewership of NFL games on Sky Sports in Britain "has doubled since the first game in 2007." The number of subscribers for Game Pass Int'l, which streams games on the Internet, "has grown 22 percent so far this year." Encouraged, the league "will add a fourth game, up from three per season now." Yet for all the league’s ambitions, "turning a profit overseas has proved elusive." To fill its slate of games, the NFL "must reimburse teams for the not insignificant costs of traveling to London as well as for the revenue they give up by moving a home game overseas." The league "spends untold amounts marketing their games to European fans." Kansas City Chiefs Owner and Chair of the league’s int'l committee Clark Hunt said about a London franchise, "It’s a possibility, but I wouldn’t say it’s a priority." Rather, he added, "The priority is to grow the fan base overseas." Waller "declined to discuss the league’s finances in England," but Hunt and the other NFL owners are "sufficiently encouraged" by the performance overseas that they voted unanimously this month to allow additional games outside the U.S., Mexico and Germany, where there are more avid fans, "are the most likely destinations initially." If the NFL is satisfied with improvements to Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, teams "could play there as soon as next season." While the NFL continues to operate at a loss in England, Jacksonville, "long one of the league’s weakest" franchises, is "benefiting from the push overseas." The team "is playing in London as the home team for the third straight season, and Shahid Khan, the Jacksonville owner, has agreed to play a game a year here at least through 2020." Because Wembley is about 25% larger than EverBank Field in Jacksonville, and tickets are more expensive in London, the Jaguars generate about 15% "of their local revenue from their game here." The Jaguars "have also attracted multinational sponsors who want the extra exposure in London." Khan said, "To me, right now, what we’re focused on is stabilizing the club. We want to be the international team for the NFL in London" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/24).

NFL EYEING MEXICO: LA AFICIÓN reported in two weeks, after a game between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs in London, a group of NFL execs will visit Estadio Azteca, "the site of the NFL's eventual return to Mexico." Waller said, "The work we will do in Mexico will be to determine if the stadium can be ready. There is still no definitive decision, but we are working to be able to [use Estadio Azteca]." He highlighted three key requirements to make a game in Mexico a reality. The issues to be addressed include the fact that the locker rooms are "designed for soccer teams and are not big enough for an American football roster." The technical infrastructure "has to improve considerably." There also "has to be space for the media." If the facility gets a satisfactory response from the NFL regarding those issues, a game in '16 "could be around the corner." Waller: "It would be fantastic if we could do it next year" (LA AFICIÓN, 10/24).

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