Overtime Expands NFL Partnership, Eyes $100M Revenue

Sports publisher Overtime has landed a new distribution agreement with the National Football League (NFL), signifying an expansion of its existing partnership and marking a significant milestone for the company that may lead to $100 million in revenue.

The collaboration will see the NFL broadcasting games from Overtime's upcoming season of OT7, a seven-on-seven football league, on both the NFL Network and NFL+.

🚨ANNOUNCEMENT🚨@nflnetwork to broadcast @OfficialAFL & @overtime's OT7 games this Spring!

30+ AFL games on @nflnetwork beginning April 27!

Live coverage of OT7 beginning April 6 at 4p ET!

Release: https://t.co/Qau0lZ1hAVpic.twitter.com/pFGUn8l7uZ

— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) March 14, 2024

“Having the NFL come on as our media rights distributor for our football league is a testament to not only the growth of our partnership, but the value in what the NFL sees in what we're doing," Marc Kohn, chief content officer at OT7, said in a statement.

“With our games now available on NFL Network, we are excited to have new fans discover the elite talent and competition of OT7."

Two Audiences, One Deal

Overtime's move is positioned to expose professional football enthusiasts to the rising talents within Overtime's roster, bridging the gap between high school and professional sports.

Overtime CEO Dan Porter emphasized the importance of this partnership:

"The NFL partnership is huge because we now have a partnership with the biggest sports league in America. The idea that Overtime is not just a disruptor, but can play nice at the highest levels, is significant."

Overtime's unique portfolio includes four proprietary sports leagues: OT7, OTE (basketball), OTX (boxing) and Overtime Select (women's basketball), featuring athletes aged 16 to 20.

With a strong emphasis on emerging talent and social media marketing, the publication has garnered a dedicated following, boasting over 100 million followers across various social channels and YouTube.

The company's revenue trajectory is also on an upward trend, with Porter revealing that they are on track to generate over $100 million this year, representing a significant uptick from previous years. 

Clocking In Growth

Despite not yet being profitable, Overtime's strategic focus on building and vertically integrating its sports leagues has attracted substantial investments, with the company having raised $250 million and achieving a valuation of $500 million in 2022.

Overtime's revenue streams are diverse, with approximately 50% coming from league sponsorships that include Adidas and State Farm, and the remaining half derived from media rights deals, advertising and commerce.

Notably, their multi-faceted approach to their commerce business has led to projections of a 50% growth this year.

Rich Greenfield, partner and analyst at LightShed Ventures, stressed the significance of Overtime's ability to create new sports content.

"The biggest challenge in media right now is that live sports [is] one of the few things driving engagement, and there are only a finite number of sports rights," he shared.

"Overtime’s ability to create new sports content presents a huge opportunity if they can create meaningfully engage audiences."

Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang