In 2024, the NFL app streamed 2.3 billion minutes of games. That's more than ten times the entire Netflix catalog.
But that number wouldn't have been even half of what it is if the NFL had not transformed its app.
Let's back up. The NFL dominates American sports — and it’s not close. It accounted for 93 of the 100 most-watched TV broadcasts in all of 2023. But in a landscape of live streaming, fantasy leagues and sports betting, the league’s app was not meeting the demands of fans of all types. Instead of a dynamic, bold reflection of the game, the app had regressed into a static brochure. Additionally, with the launch of NFL+, a D2C service to watch in-market and national games, the NFL app became a business priority for the league. The NFL needed a solution to the app’s outdated experience patterns and features, as well as a stagnant content organization that was inhibiting growth, engagement and NFL+ conversion.
Over nearly a year, the NFL rebuilt the fan experience from the ground up, transforming its app into the ultimate companion for every fan—whether they’re glued to RedZone, analyzing fantasy stats, or catching a game-winning play on the go.
The NFL knew that sports fans are a little, well, obsessive. They don’t just tune in on Sunday. They’re considering who their team might pick in the NFL Draft in April. Seeking highlights from the NFL Combine in March. Trash-talking with friends on the other end of the country in the middle of a rivalry game. The game is always on.
But the NFL app didn't enable or empower that consumer behavior.
The NFL didn't need a hail mary. It needed a strategic vision and game plan that would transform the app so that it fueled the game's natural rhythm.
Additionally, coupling proprietary NFL research with qualitative and quantitative audience and market analysis, the NFL assessed how the app could address the modern sports fan’s confusion around video services and subscriptions to watch games, commoditized sports content across channels and desire for personalization.
This array of data and insights is now the foundation of the reimagined NFL app, powered by a fan-first strategy. The app’s new architecture, design, and experience are D2C-centric, elevating unique NFL differentiators (e.g., Next Gen Stats and exclusive content), presenting a refreshed, dynamic, and valuable experience to all fans.
Built on atomic design principles, the app scales seamlessly across 32 teams and adapts for deep levels of fan personalization. The app is now part of a larger NFL design system built to flex across macro-level needs (NFL-wide branding) and micro-level moments (individual team matchups or live events like the NFL Draft or Combine).
The app prioritizes a video-first approach, optimized for multitasking fans, while strategically positioning NFL+ as the centerpiece for live streaming and exclusive content. Knowing that Sunday is appointment viewing for fans — with 14 games spread across time slots — the app’s “Game Switcher” lets users jump between matchups and RedZone with a tap. Meanwhile a pinned video player ensures fans never miss a play, even while scrolling stats or catching up on news. Picture-in-picture and audio-only options cater to every fan, whether they’re glued to their screen or multitasking throughout the day.
For fans looking for a deeper dive, the NFL also reinvented Game pages, which pull together live and VOD video, audio, play-by-play, stats, drive charts and more. A one-stop-shop to discover, engage and share the best of the gridiron.
The NFL app has been completely overhauled to cater to fans' year-round obsession, delivering a personalized, always-on experience that keeps you connected to the game every day of the year.
The new NFL app has changed the dynamic of how fans everywhere engage with the game, proven by record-setting numbers:
Whether you're a die-hard loyalist glued to RedZone, a fantasy fanatic crunching stats, a multitasker juggling bets, or a newcomer finding your footing on the gridiron, the new NFL app meets you where you are, with a user experience as dynamic as the sport itself.
