NFL ad revenue is projected to reach $6.3 billion in the 2026-27 season, an 8% increase from last year, according to a new study from Guideline.
The forecast includes $48 million from the inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game. The projection follows a record $5.9 billion in ad sales during the 2025-26 season, a 7% year-over-year increase. Regular-season ad revenue rose 6% last year, while playoff ad revenue jumped 13%.
“Overall ad demand looks healthy headed into the 26/27 season,” said Sean Wright, Guideline’s chief insights and analytics officer. “Upfront commits are pacing up double digits ahead of where they were last year, partly driven by increases in pricing, partly in a surge of new ad budgets. We’ll see how much ultimately gets booked but right now, the regular season is shaping up to be another potentially record setting year.”
Streaming-exclusive games accounted for 13% of full-season revenue in 2025-26, nearly double their 8% share two seasons earlier. Ad growth on streaming-exclusive networks rose 6% year over year last season.