Taylor Swift's impact on the NFL and its viewership numbers cannot be understated .
Since Swift was spotted in a private suite to support Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs last season, the NFL has seen its viewership number skyrocket as the 34-year-old pop megastar introduced the league to a new demographic. During the 2023 NFL season, it was reported that Swift generated more than $330 million in brand revenue for the league.
Additionally, it was reported by Fanatics that Kelce's jersey sales jumped 400 percent after Swift was spotted supporting the star tight end when the Chiefs took on the Chicago Bears.
In terms of viewership numbers, Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers was the most viewed Super Bowl of all time, which could be attributed in part to the fact that Swift was present in Las Vegas.
While some Chiefs fans were unhappy to see Swift at the game, with some complaining that the broadcast showed her too many times, Swift's impact is undeniable . And it's part of a mix which sees the NFL continue to break records.
On Friday, NBC Sports announced that the Chiefs 2024 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens broke the record for the average audience for an NFL Kickoff Game.
In a statement, NBC Sports reported that the game averaged 28.9 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, five percent more than last year's game between the Detroit Lions and Chiefs. The coverage peaked at 33 million views in the second quarter.
Also, the game averaged 4.6 million viewers on Peacock, NBC Sports and the NFL's platforms, which is the second more simulstreamed NBC NFL game ever, trailing only Super Bowl LVI. That number is also a 65 percent increase from last season's game, which garnered 2.8 million viewers.
Because of how successful NBC's Peacock deal with the NFL has been, games have been allowed to be played strictly from the streaming service. A case in point is the Philadelphia Eagles' matchup with the Green Bay Packers in Brazil .
The Eagles and Packers game is the first time the NFL has ever played a game in Brazil, specifically in Sao Paulo. It also marks the first time in 50 years that the NFL is having a game on the first Friday night of the opening weekend.
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The viewing numbers could be attributed to how consumers approach the streaming service as well. Although many subscribers claim to only pay for Peacock to watch NFL playoff games, it has been revealed that more than half of said subscribers maintain their plan for longer than they say.
With how much pull Swift has among her fans even Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt admitted his surprise at seeing how much Kansas City and the NFL have been affected by it. "It caught us by surprise," Hunt said, per the Daily Mail.
"When she showed up at that first game against the Chicago Bears, our fans went crazy. And it certainly has impacted our fanbase. We have a lot more female fans now and, specifically, young female fans."
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