Commissioner Roger Goodell said seven years ago that he’d like the NFL to reach $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027. The league is roughly on track to get there.
Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal reports that the NFL expects to generate $14 billion in 2017. That’s a $6 billion increase from 2010, when the NFL racked up $8 billion.
This year’s increase, per Kaplan, came from the Thursday Night Football package and the opening of the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The opening of the Falcons’ new stadium and the Chargers’ move to L.A. could contribute to future increases, culminating in what should be a major increase when the Chargers and Rams move into their new stadium in Inglewood.
Getting to $25 billion per year by 2027 remains a challenge, especially in light of the complexities of the next wave of TV deals and potential challenges to holding the domestic audience together and growing the sport internationally.