The NFL’s continued emphasis on partnerships with content creators represents a win-win for both the league and creators.
At The Wrap’s Creators x Hollywood, in partnership with Whalar and The Lighthouse, the NFL’s Global Social SVP of Social, Creator & Content Marketing Ian Trombetta and creators Adam Waheed – who creates videos under Adam W – and Ross Smith spoke to the access the league affords creators and how this closer content serves as a win-win for consumers and the NFL.
- The NFL’s Trombetta and creators Adam Waheed – who creates videos as Adam W – and Ross Smith spoke about the access the league affords creators and how this closer content serves as a win-win for consumers and the league.
- A major advantage of this partnership has been in welcoming new fans to the sport. Waheed pointed out how many of his viewers were not originally football fans.
“When they first reached out, I was like, ‘no f–king way I get to work with the NFL, this is amazing,’” Waheed said. “I think one of the smartest things the NFL does, and why they’re far past any other sports league, is they really embrace and know what’s going on in the culture of social media, where a lot of other companies and leagues, they think they know, but like Ian and a lot of the guys on the team, actually know what’s culturally relevant on the platforms, and that makes all the difference.”
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For Trombetta, it comes down to how freely the NFL gives creators access. Thanks to that open access, he thinks it leads naturally to stronger content that ultimately gets seen by more people. It’s been an investment that has continued to grow as more teams see and reap the benefits of these creators.
“I think for us, one of the big changes that we had – again, give credit to Commissioner and all the way down – but the amount of access that we’re able to give these guys now and opportunities to really shine has grown so much,” Trombetta said. “And the clubs also have to get invested in that, and they see the value. They see the output and what the returns are. So that’s also for us the real currency to give these guys what they need from a content and access perspective.”
And it isn’t just rabid fans of the NFL that are enjoying the benefits of seeing their favorite players, coaches and venues from new angles. A major advantage of this partnership has been in welcoming new fans to the sport. Waheed pointed out how many of his viewers were not originally football fans.
“I love the NFL, I know everything about it, but my audience doesn’t, there are a lot of people who don’t watch football who are maybe introduced to it for the first time through my channel, which really expands the game,” he explained. “And in the same sense, someone in that household might watch football, but the kid or the mom or the sister or whoever in the household might not watch it, and they get introduced to the game through that lens.”
Trombetta later added that a focus on younger fans and women were another focus for the NFL – and creators were a big part of that. He pointed to Waheed, Smith and even famous faces like Taylor Swift were continuing to grow the league to new demographics and keep them the biggest sport in the U.S.
“When we start looking at Adam’s audience, or Ross’s audience, guarantee you the majority of them are under 35 or even under 24 so that that’s very complimentary to what we’re trying to do,” he said. “And then you think about other creators that we’re working with that might have a huge Latino following or huge female following, and that brings those fans closer to us in different ways. So you know, you think about probably the biggest influencer, Taylor Swift, and there’s been a lot of talk about what Taylor’s done for the NFL. Our fan base is almost now 50% women, which is awesome.”
TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit is an invite-only gathering of the top creators, entertainment leaders and brand partners who are shaping the future of storytelling and the new entertainment economy.
The event is presented in partnership with global creator agency Whalar and The Lighthouse, both part of the Whalar Group. It is sponsored by City National Bank, Fox Entertainment, Lionsgate, Loeb & Loeb LLP and WEBTOON.
