Can FAST help the NFL become a truly global property?
Can FAST help the NFL become a truly global property?
One of the NFL’s top executives shared his thoughts regarding FAST’s potential to help the league reach more international fans.
The NFL is going global in a big way. The league is playing nine international games this season, visiting cities like Melbourne, Australia, and Madrid, Spain. However, this is just a taste of what’s to come for the NFL around the world; many believe that the league is considering expanding to international franchises over the next decade if global audiences continue to grow apace.
But how can the league continue to reach fans around the world without bringing games to every country on the globe? Streaming just might be the answer, and the NFL’s free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, the NFL Channel, might just be the method. The channel is home to hours of highlights, analysis, and even archival games that are perfect for fledgling fans to immerse themselves in as they learn the game. The NFL FAST channel isn’t widely available outside the U.S. just yet, having launched internationally for the first time early this year. However, it could play a major role in bringing fans to the game, and the league’s Director of Product — Ad Products and Tech (FAST), Jonathan Vu, spoke to The Streamable at this summer’s StreamTV Conference to explain what the future holds for the NFL’s FAST channel.
Vu explained that for the NFL, FAST is a great way to make contact with viewers who are curious about the sport, but have not had the same levels of exposure that American audiences have. Obviously, this type of resource can be a significant boon in bringing international fans inside the NFL’s rapidly expanding tent, as it serves as a straightforward way for nascent fans to learn about the league’s teams, players, and history.
The channel can also help market the game to specific international audiences in different ways. Vu pointed to the side panel that appears on screen when watching the channel as a way for the league to showcase relevant players in international markets to generate greater interest in American football.
“During different heritage months, we showcase the players and their heritage,” Vu said. “So, if you’re an international fan from a different country — let’s say Australia — you see Jordan Mailata is Australian, you kind of connect to that, and then you connect to the sport and the game as well.”
Along those lines, Vu says the league can use its FAST channel to offer more localized content. The channel only launched internationally this year, but there are plenty of chances to use the free platform to reach viewers who aren’t necessarily ready to pay for NFL content. It’s early days for the channel’s international ambitions, but Vu sees a great deal of potential for the NFL Channel to reach viewers with specialized content.
“There are a lot of things that we would love to do: localizing for fans, really getting them connected to the game, and things like that, and also [helping guide] them into our NFL ecosystem, right?” he said. “So far, the reception has been great.”
Vu willingly admits that there are challenges to growing the fandom of American football in places where other sports have traditionally held sway. The league is hoping that the free streaming channel can be used as a platform to give fans who are new to the game a grounding in its basics, from rules to players to history.
“When you go out and market, you’re competing against like the soccers and the crickets and everything else,” he explained. “So, just trying to get some more exposure for folks to understand what the football game is like. ‘Oh, why does it start and stop?’ ‘What is a first down?’ Trying to [teach] the game a little bit.”
One way that the NFL Channel’s programming team has done that is by cross-pollinating football with other sports. Vu singled out the show “Game Recognizes Game,” in which football stars test their skills against athletes from other sports, as an example of how programmers help international viewers view football through the lens of a sport they already know well.
“Being able to curate certain things like, ‘Oh, there’s a March Madness or even FIFA [event], there’s some kind of thematic aspects to some of our content to drive that storyline.’ So, our content team does an amazing job on that.”
That programming team will have many more opportunities to attract international fans to American football as the season gets underway. The NFL is playing more games internationally this year than ever before, and its FAST channel will likely be an integral part of the league’s strategy to continue adding fans in markets around the world. In the U.S., fans can find the NFL FAST channel on top services like The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Tubi, as well as on the NFL’s website.
NFL+
NFL+ allows fans to watch live local and primetime games on mobile and tablet devices. And with an NFL+ Premium subscription, you can watch replays of every single game without ads, condensed game replays, and coaches film. The service also allows fans to choose their audio stream (home, away, and national calls). The Premium plan also includes NFL RedZone on TV.