The NFL is booming. After a banner season for the sport, with record viewing numbers and all-time high sponsorship revenue, the world's biggest brands are looking to secure deals to take advantage of the league's enviable global reach. The 2023 season ended with an enthralling 25-22 victory for the Kansas City Chiefs, who became the first team for two decades to secure back-to-back Super Bowls.

The 2024 season promises to be just as memorable. NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said: "The global interest in our game continues to grow rapidly, from fandom to participation, and the increase in international viewership underlines this." Figures show Super Bowl LVIII reached 210 million people domestically, and a further 62.5 million in global markets.

The NFL is a juggernaut in terms of TV and sponsors, with the league comfortably clear of the NBA, NHL, and MLS. During the 2022 season, revenue from sponsorship jumped to a record $1.88bn, but which companies are buying most into North America's most marketable sports league?

Technology

Tech companies have a long affiliation with American football -- think of the now legendary commercial for the Apple Macintosh computer, which aired in 1984. Fast-forward to the present day, and it's no surprise that four of the top 10 spending brands are in this industry. The world's most valuable company, Microsoft, was among a slew of tech corps that spent $395m in sponsorship in 2022. Apple also recently joined the roster again to advertise its music streaming platform, Apple Music.

Foods and Beverages

Tech, however, doesn't have the biggest sponsor. That accolade goes to PepsiCo, which spent more on rights than any other brand in 2022. Pepsi was the Super Bowl halftime sponsor for 10 years from 2012, before it was replaced by Apple Music, which penned a $50m a year deal. That didn't stop its investment, though. On the contrary, it just shifted its budget to a range of other NFL assets, including the increasingly popular NFL draft. Pepsi also has numerous lucrative deals with team franchises.

Betting and Gaming

The betting and gaming industry was second only to technology in sponsorships for the 2022 season, with a total value of $260m. That followed the NFL's first-ever sportsbook partnerships, which drove a 12% spike in revenue for the league in 2021. American football fans regularly flock to casino sites to play casino games and bet on the biggest matchups during the regular and postseason. Experts expect this burgeoning sector will look to secure more sponsorships and team deals in the coming years.

Telecoms

Telecom companies were third on the top sponsors list in 2022, with $260m in revenue for the NFL. The industry had two of the top 10 individual sponsors that year: Verizon (third) and Cisco (eighth). Verizon started sponsoring the league back in 2010 when it first advertised its wireless, local and long-distance telecoms services. In 2023, it announced that it had agreed to a five-year deal with the NFL to deliver wireless solutions to all 30 stadiums to support on-field communication between coaches.

Beer

Beer companies were the third most lucrative sector for the NFL in 2022, with a value of $211m. This was spearheaded mainly by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The Belgian-Brazilian drink and brewing company, with brands including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, was the second-highest sponsor overall, only behind PepsiCo. AB InBev had a 34-year run from 1989 as the exclusive beer sponsor for the Super Bowl, and it recently penned a partnership with the NFL worth $250m a year.

Banking and Insurance

In total, there were 30 league-level sponsors during the 2023 season, but that only tells half the story. Brands also partner with individual franchises for stadium naming rights and other deals. IEG global managing director Peter Laatz, who helps to track sponsorships each year, notes: "When you do a league-level deal, you are essentially buying the right to spend more money. You generally get access to ancillary events, but in terms of getting access to the actual game day action, you have to go to the clubs."

Banking and insurance companies account for almost half of the sponsors for NFL naming rights, with industry giants including Bank of America (BOA) among those investing at club level. In 2023, BOA agreed to extend a long-running partnership with the Carolina Panthers for the naming rights to its 74,867-capacity venue. The deal highlights the scope of NFL assets and the opportunities big brands have to buy into America's favorite sport, and reach and engage with audiences attending and watching games across the country.