Just in time for the NFL’s 100th season, the league has announced a multi-year partnership with TikTok.
The NFL’s TikTok page has already begun sharing behind-the-scenes video footage and highlight reels and other classic internet stuff like memes and hashtag challenges.
According to CNBC, the partnership was drawn up in the league’s playbook to help the NFL score with young viewers not only in the US, but worldwide — and we aren’t talking millennials.
Is football an old person’s game?
As Morning Consult reported last fall, football appears to be losing yardage with Gen Z, as they watch less network television and are also playing the sport less, mainly due to head injuries.
On the flip, TikTok has become wildly popular among younger generations. It was the 3rd-most downloaded app in the US in the first quarter of this year.
Success lies within TikTok’s partnerships
Partnerships with major brands such as Chipotle, Ralph Lauren, and Burberry helped to legitimize the platform in the US over the last year, and those partnerships have attracted sports leagues like the NFL and others who are working to bring on new affiliates.
Both Wimbledon and the NBA have worked with TikTok to promote their games across the globe as well.
