Earlier this month, a well-known musician was spotted at a Kansas City Chiefs game, reflecting the National Football League’s ongoing efforts to engage a broader audience. Unlike previous appearances by Taylor Swift, who attended games to support Travis Kelce and boosted viewership, this time it was Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee. Known for songs like “Gasolina” and “Rompe,” Daddy Yankee attended a Monday Night Football game at Arrowhead Stadium, where he spent time with Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. Pacheco, also of Puerto Rican descent, allowed the rapper to try on his two Super Bowl rings.
This event was part of the NFL’s “Por La Cultura” campaign, now in its fourth year, which plays a crucial role in reaching Latino and Spanish-speaking audiences. The NFL is renowned for its high ratings, dominating both traditional TV and streaming platforms. A recent Nielsen report highlighted that football significantly boosted ratings in September. However, the league aims to expand further, especially with Hispanic viewership, which officials consider pivotal both for U.S. expansion and global reach.
Olek Loewenstein, global president of sports at TelevisaUnivision, commented on the challenge of growth within the traditional U.S. audience, emphasizing the Hispanic demographic as young and increasingly sizable. Marissa Solis, the NFL’s senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing, noted the importance of engaging younger viewers, women, and the Latino population to ensure growth. Solis asserted that Latinos are essential for the league’s future expansion, given the cross-border connections and shared pride in the sport.
In addressing Hispanic audiences, the NFL acknowledged that soccer remains the preferred sport, followed by baseball and boxing. Nevertheless, the NFL is positioning itself for significant growth among Hispanics, according to Loewenstein.
As the NFL season commenced, efforts to reach non-Spanish-speaking Latino audiences included hosting a game in Brazil, marking the first time such an event took place there. This game, streamed exclusively on Comcast’s Peacock service, became the platform’s second-most-watched live event, following an NFL postseason game.
Solis reported that the number of self-identified Latino NFL fans in the U.S. has grown from 31 million four years ago, at the start of the Por La Cultura campaign, to 40 million today. The expansion of Spanish-language broadcasts—exceeding 75 this season—has significantly contributed to increasing fandom.
In terms of media rights, Paramount Global’s CBS aired the Super Bowl, licensing Spanish-language broadcast rights to TelevisaUnivision in the U.S. and Mexico. This decision resulted in a record-breaking 2.3 million viewers for TelevisaUnivision’s Spanish broadcast, although it was a smaller segment of the total 123.4 million Super Bowl viewership.
Previous broadcasts, such as the first Spanish-language Super Bowl on Fox Deportes in 2015, and Telemundo’s 2022 airing on an over-the-air network, underscore the increasing priority of Spanish-language offerings as the NFL seeks broader accessibility.
Recently, Fox Deportes and Telemundo announced a collaboration to broadcast the Super Bowl in February, promising unprecedented Spanish-language distribution in the U.S. The networks will produce separate broadcasts, marking a significant milestone for Spanish-language media coverage in the NFL.
Telemundo has reported substantial growth in NFL viewership and broadcasts “Sunday Night Football” in Spanish on both television and streaming platforms. This shift is attracting a younger, tech-savvy audience, said Joaquin Duro, executive vice president of sports at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. Telemundo also focuses on highlighting Hispanic players and expanding coverage around NFL events.
Rolando Cantú, a former NFL player and current analyst, expressed enthusiasm about the NFL’s ongoing evolution and expansion. It is worth noting that Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC, has an interest in these developments.