The NFL kicks off global review to consolidate its $400 million media account

The NFL has put its global media account up for review as it aims to consolidate with one agency, Campaign US has learned. 

Omnicom’s OMD, Publicis Media, Stagwell, Horizon Media and Tinuiti are said to be among the agencies vying for the business, according to sources. OMD and Tinuiti are the incumbents. 

The review comes just over a year after the NFL took parts of its media buying account in-house, according to Business Insider, retaining OMD as a lead strategy agency. The NFL has worked with OMD in some capacity since 2019, when it brought the agency on to manage media buying and planning for NFL games without a review.

The NFL also expanded its relationship with digital agency Tinuiti at the time to oversee most of its digital media buying budget, including paid social, video and display. 

The NFL is estimated to have spent $400 million on U.S. media between July 2021 and June 2022, including $120 million on digital, according to Comvergence data.

The NFL’s global media account is believed to cover the U.S., Canada, Mexico and U.K. market, according to sources. 

The NFL has worked with 72andSunny, which is part of Stagwell Group, as its lead creative agency since 2018. The two have collaborated on notable work such as the Football is Gay campaign in 2021.

In addition to being a massive advertiser, the NFL offers a major and growing advertising platform for brands. The league generated a record $4.4 billion in ad revenue during the 2021-2022 season, a 14% year-over-year jump, according to Standard Media Index. 

The NFL did not reply to requests for comment.