TikTok announced that they have extended their partnership with the NFL. This comes amid the kickoff of the latest season of the NFL.
With the renewed partnership, NFL media and teams will continue to post exclusive content on the app.
Here is what TikTok said about the partnership extension.
“TikTok has become a destination for NFL content and culture, with over 11 million combined posts for #NFL, #NFLPlayoffs, and #SuperBowl. All year round, our global community of fans come to TikTok for an unfiltered look into the NFL world and the commentary around it. From behind-the-scenes footage with players and educational videos to highlights of yesterday’s and today’s most memorable plays, the NFL has become so much more than the game itself, and it’s all found on TikTok.”
Along with this, TikTok also reported that NFL-related videos on the platform managed to get over 5 billion views in 2023 alone.
The increased view count could also be associated with Taylor Swift attending the NFL because of her boyfriend Travis Kelce. This has generated a lot of response from the users as Taylor is at the top of her game.
This has become a key driver of cultural trends, largely driven by music. So, an expanded partnership with the NFL makes sense for TikTok as they will continue to receive support from the viewers.
But the main thing here is the multi-year facet of the deal. It will be interesting to see if TikTok survives in the US market or not.
However, we can say that the NFL has an international following, and that holds some value for TikTok. Even if the US bans TikTok due to a government sell-off or ban bill, there would be some value in the partnership. However, it would be less significant as the primary market of the NFL won’t be able to enjoy the content on TikTok. We must ponder if there is any new clause in the new contract for this type of scenario.
