Category: Sports

Let’s talk football.

Not the kind where you’re glued to the screen with a wing in one hand and a cold drink in the other (though we fully support that). We’re talking about football as a serious business opportunity—specifically, NFL Sunday Ticket and what it can do for your bottom line.

If you run a bar or restaurant, you already know: football Sundays are prime real estate. But not every place turns that into real revenue. The ones that do? They’ve got the games everyone wants to see. And that’s exactly what NFL Sunday Ticket brings to the table.

We’re here to help you pack your place, grow your regulars, and keep the kitchen (and bar) busy all day long.

More games, more fans, more $$$.

Let’s break it down.

NFL Sunday Ticket gives you every live out-of-market Sunday afternoon game. So while the average place can only show what the local broadcast allows, you can show what they can’t.

And here’s what that does: it brings in fans who would usually stay home, stream on their phone, or drive across town hunting for a spot showing their team. Now they’re coming to you, and bringing their buddies.

Jets fans in Cowboys country? Come on in. Packers fans in South Florida? We’ve got your table. Every team has a loyal crew looking for a place to call home. Let that be your spot.

 

NFL fans watch more and stay longer.

Football fans don’t leave game day to chance. They plan, Google the best spots, and message the group chat. If they find out your place airs every live out-of-market game, every Sunday, you just became their football HQ.

NFL fans are more likely than other sports fans to stick around for multiple games in one sitting. And with the average NFL game clocking in at over 3 hours, that’s serious dwell time. But let’s be honest—fans don’t just come for one. They come early. They stay late. They make a whole day of it.

Even better? That translates directly into higher checks.

Take a look at the average bar spend per person per hour in the U.S.—you’ll see how quickly it adds up.

 

Type of Bar/Setting	Avg. Spend/Hour per Person
Casual Sports Bar (Drinks + Food)	$25–$35
High-traffic Urban Bar	$35–$50
Dive Bar (Drinks only)	$15–$25
Upscale Restaurant/Lounge	$40–$60+

 

Pro tip: Let fans reserve tables with the best screen view for a small fee ($10–$25 deposit credited to their tab), guaranteed seating, priority service, and a team flag or beer bucket included. You’d be surprised how many superfans will pay a little to lock in a good seat.

 

 

Serve up the entire game-day experience.

Here’s a little secret: fans talk. If you give them a place that gives them the whole experience, they’ll come back every week—and they’ll bring others with them.

Bars that show NFL games can see sales increases of 30–50% on Sundays compared to non-game days. Big screens. Packed booths. Jerseys everywhere. That energy turns into orders: more wings, more beers, higher tips, more repeat business.

And with tools like DIRECTV’s Sports Bar Finder, fans can search and find your venue when they’re looking for where to watch. Free promotion? Yes, please.

This loyalty goes beyond football season. Fans who make your business their game-day destination are more likely to return during the week or bring friends back for non-sports occasions. You’re not just filling seats—you’re building community.

 

Give fans a reason to leave the couch.

For fans, getting the games at home isn’t exactly cheap. In 2024, the NFL Sunday Ticket package costs $350+ for residential streaming. That’s a hefty price tag for one person.

That’s why bars and restaurants offering NFL Sunday Ticket and DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS are so valuable. You’re offering the convenience, community, and energy of a true game-day experience, without the financial or technical burden for them: no subscriptions, no tech setup, no need to prepare the house to receive guests, cook, or go grocery shopping, meaning no frustration and no effort. 

And that’s why, even in the age of streaming, fans still go out for NFL Sundays.

If you’re worried about not knowing how to switch games or what fans want, don’t sweat it. When you add any sports package, DIRECTV automatically includes you in the MVP Marketing program, which offers turnkey solutions to build customer awareness and help differentiate your business.

By subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket, you unlock all the benefits of the program, such as marketing kits, merchandise, schedules, tech support, and more. 

You don’t need to be a football expert—you just need to know that fans want a place to watch their team, and you’re giving them that.

 

The investment pays off—if you activate it.

Yes, NFL Sunday Ticket has a price. But with the right strategies in place, it’s not a cost—it’s an investment.

There are packages available for bars, restaurants, and venues of all sizes, with options to suit your seating capacity and screen requirements.

Even just 20 extra people per Sunday, each spending $25–$35, can more than cover the monthly investment. And once they’re hooked, they keep coming back week after week—for the whole season, and beyond.

 

 

• The Athletic

• Toast POS Restaurant Industry Report

• Statista – U.S. Bar Revenue per Customer

• Technomic Bar Insights

• Technomic, National Restaurant Association

 

 

Big Business, Big Money, Big Loyalty

The National Football League (NFL) is in the business of providing a competitive and entertaining experience on the football field for fans to tune in to every week. Each NFL team puts together a roster to make that happen, in hopes to get people in the stadium and eyes on their brand. NFL teams employ both high-speed athletes and hard-working marketing teams with one combined goal: score touchdowns on the field while making gains off the field.

How Loyal Are NFL Fans?

Methodology

We surveyed 2,000 Americans to look at their NFL team loyalty using Pollfish, a market research software that gathers real-time quality survey responses.

Hard-Hitting Findings

 

• Love to Hate to Love — It’s no surprise that the most popular player in the NFL is also one of the most hated—Tom Brady. Fans switched jerseys when Brady switched teams back in 2020 from the Patriots to the Buccaneers. And while some New England fans were heartbroken by the 20+ year veteran’s decision, they now had someone to root against (or for) down in Tampa Bay. Although Brady was the most popular player, he never played for the most popular NFL team. Dubbed “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys are the most popular NFL team. Whether you love them or hate them, they still garner the most attention on primetime television, having the all-time record for most appearances on Monday Night Football.

• Loyal to the Core — 43% of respondents said they would never switch teams, even if their team moved to another city. That would explain why Raiders fans don’t mind taking the trek from Oakland to Las Vegas to watch their team collide with their opponents. 73% of respondents said they would still watch their games on TV even if their favorite NFL team moved to a different town. Maybe loyalty lies in friendships, considering 32% of our respondents said they support the team they do because of their friends—that’s more influential than their parents or partners.

• “If football is not on my TV, so help me!” — Not everyone can watch football in person. That’s why people love tuning into their favorite NFL teams from the comfort of their couch or favorite sports bar. Sunday isn’t the only day NFL fans can get a glimpse of football since it’s expanded to Mondays, Thursdays, and occasional Saturdays. This would explain why 49% of respondents say they watch multiple games in a week. And when the Big Game is on, 69% of people are willing to miss major life events to watch the Super Bowl, including a funeral of a loved one, the birth of their child, or their own wedding! We wouldn’t recommend that.

 

More Money, More Merchandise — From caps to jerseys to pajamas, you can rep your team any way you’d like, but it doesn’t come cheap. A jersey can run you an average of $130 while a pair of team socks can cost around 20 bucks. In the past year, 74% of respondents estimated they spent no more than $300 on team merchandise. On the other side of the spectrum, only 6% of respondents spent more than $500.