American football's NFL has added Italy to its Global Markets Program (GMP), with two franchises initially allocated marketing rights in the territory.
The Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints have been given rights in Italy, with the franchises now having two markets each.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The Browns already have rights in Nigeria, while the Saints have a presence in France.
In addition, the Las Vegas Raiders have expanded their initial GMP markets allocation to include Canada, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), adding to the team's rights across Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand.
The GMP was launched in 2022 as an initiative giving NFL teams the ability to build awareness in specific markets outside the US through fan events, commercial activity, and increased fan engagement.
All 32 teams now have at least one GMP market, while the addition of Italy to the scheme means that, in total, 22 countries are covered.
A record nine international games will take place this year – three in London, in addition to games in Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro.
In total, 62 NFL regular-season games have been held outside the US.
Gerrit Meier, managing director and head of international for the NFL, commented: "The league-wide commitment to the Global Markets Program is helping to accelerate fandom of our league, clubs and players around the world, deepening our international footprint and bringing our game closer to fans globally.”
Last season, the NFL was shown in Italy by RTI Mediaset. At present, the league features just one Italian-born player, Max Pircher, who was with the Minnesota Vikings last season.
Elsewhere, the NFL has confirmed TMRW Sports as its operating partner for a new professional flag football league, which has already secured a raft of investors.
The NFL franchises have now authorized the league's 32 Equity division to approve an investment of up to $32 million, which will support the launch and initial operation of the new flag football property.
TMRW Sports, the company founded by golf legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, currently runs the sport's tech-infused TGL league, but will now break out from golf by taking on this assignment.
The firm has been locked in negotiations with the NFL over the last few months, with the league's initial shortlist having reportedly been narrowed down to two – TMRW and a consortium led by player-turned-investor Curtis Martin – in October.
League owners from the NFL then voted in December to invest over $30 million into the property, which is currently scheduled to launch by 2028.
In the past, the league has staged flag football exhibition games in isolation, most prominently at the Pro Bowl, but has never put forward its players for the discipline competitively.
Flag football was heavily involved at the NFL Pro Bowl event in San Francisco last month, and will also feature as an Olympic sport for the first time in Los Angeles in 2028.
In terms of initial investors into the league – for which no details have yet been announced – the number includes former NFL Hall of Famers Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Larry Fitzgerald.
Investment firms on board include Ariel Investments/Project Level, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blue Pool Capital, Dynasty Equity, Silver Lake, and Sixth Street.
The venture will support both men's and women's flag football teams, and women's sporting icons Billie Jean King, Alex Morgan, and Serena Williams are all also involved.
TMRW Sports, meanwhile, launched TGL in January 2025 (it had been set to launch early the prior year, only for a Florida hurricane to necessitate a 12-month postponement). Woods and McIlroy founded the company together back in 2022.
In terms of existing links between the NFL and TMRW Sports, Arthur Blank (owner of the Atlanta Falcons franchise) is one of the golf property's major financial backers. Several high-profile NFL players, such as Josh Allen, are also lesser investors, as is Vikings owner Mark Wilf.
The NFL has said TMRW Sports was chosen after a "competitive evaluation process that generated strong interest from multiple potential operators."
The launch timeline is anticipated to align with the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports, commented: "Now with the inclusion of flag football in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, TMRW Sports shares a vision with the NFL to further fuel fandom and participation worldwide with the development of a professional flag football league.
"As the elite competitive tier of flag football, this league will mark a new era for the sport as the world’s best compete in a fast-paced format that aligns with the evolving media consumption of today’s sports fans."
