NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned this week the league goes to lean into global festival and may play as many as 16 video games in step with season out of the country within the subsequent 5 years.
Goodell seemed on the CNBC CEO Council Summit along Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano and spoke to a lot of subjects that still integrated non-public fairness, franchise valuations and the economic system.
Here are the highlights:
Growing the NFL footprint
The NFL recently has seven global video games on its 2025 agenda, probably the most in its historical past, internet hosting matchups in Brazil, England, Germany, Ireland and Spain. But Goodell mentioned Monday that is only the start.
“I do see 16 regular season games, and I do think that will happen in the very near future,” Goodell instructed CNBC’s Scott Wapner. “Within 5 years probably.”
The league has greater than 200 million fanatics within the U.S., making global a large alternative.
“International is an open market for us,” mentioned Goodell. “We are excited about our potential.”
Marriott’s Capuano added sports activities shuttle is a big earnings motive force, with sports-related shuttle representing greater than $50 billion yearly and 10% of world tourism.
Marriott has a long-standing partnership with the NFL because the respectable lodge spouse of the league.
Private fairness within the NFL
Goodell additionally mirrored on the upward thrust of personal fairness within the NFL.
In August, the league become the ultimate of the key U.S. skilled sports activities leagues to permit non-public fairness funding, greenlighting positive PE corporations to take as much as a 10% stake in groups.
Investment was once restricted to a small staff of corporations: Ares Management, Sixth Street Partners, Arctos Partners and a consortium nicknamed “The Avengers” that comes with Dynasty Equity, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, CVC Capital Partners and Ludis, a platform based by means of investor and previous NFL operating again Curtis Martin.
Goodell mentioned this week the league is on the subject of permitting an extra non-public fairness company to sign up for the ranks.
“There’s enough demand for it that we think it’s the right step,” Goodell mentioned.
The commissioner added groups have discovered the personal fairness cash useful in offering liquidity.
Valuations on the upward thrust
Goodell mentioned he was once shocked by means of how temporarily staff valuations have risen, however mentioned it is not one thing league officers center of attention on.
According to CNBC’s Official NFL valuations, the common membership is price $6.49 billion. The NFL is probably the most treasured sports activities league within the U.S. and in 2024, the league generated a file $23 billion in earnings.
The San Francisco 49ers have reached an settlement with a collection of consumers to promote a 6.2% stake within the staff at a file valuation of above $8.5 billion, in keeping with an individual accustomed to the topic, who spoke at the situation of anonymity to handle nonpublic dealings.
“It’s a statement about the business model itself and the popularity of it,” Goodell mentioned Monday. “I think a lot of people are valuing our franchises because of the future, and that’s what we want to see, and that’s what we need.”
Tariffs and the economic system
As many corporations across the nation grapple with waning client sentiment, cussed inflation and large import price lists, Goodell mentioned he does not assume the present local weather will have an effect on the NFL significantly.
He mentioned whilst the information presentations client are pausing spending or no longer making an investment up to now into the longer term, he thinks are living sports activities are in a special class than basic leisure spending.
“There’s still great demand in our content,” Goodell mentioned.
— CNBC’s Alex Sherman and Michael Ozanian contributed to this file.