12 Stocks For 2025 NFL Season With $30 Billion Expected To Be Bet, $8 Million Super Bowl LX Ads

The upcoming 2025 NFL season, commencing September 4th, presents substantial revenue opportunities for publicly traded companies across multiple sectors. Media giants, including Comcast, Amazon (the sole broadcaster to gain viewership last season), and Netflix, are poised to capitalize on robust broadcast rights and advertising, with Comcast targeting $8 million per 30-second Super Bowl ad. Concurrently, the sports betting market is projected to see an 8.5% increase to $30 billion in wagers, benefiting key players like DraftKings and Flutter. Furthermore, new avenues for direct investment in NFL team economics are emerging through private equity stakes, exemplified by Ares Management's exposure to the Miami Dolphins.

Analysis

The upcoming 2025 NFL season is positioned as a significant revenue driver for publicly traded companies across media, sports betting, and asset management, even as overall league viewership saw a marginal 2% decline to 17.5 million in 2024. The NFL's continued broadcast dominance, securing 72 of the top 100 broadcasts, sustains high-value media rights. Legacy media partner Comcast (CMCSA) plans to leverage its Super Bowl LX rights to command $8 million per 30-second ad. Meanwhile, streaming platforms are executing distinct growth strategies; Amazon (AMZN) was the sole media partner to achieve year-over-year viewership growth for its "Thursday Night Football," and Netflix (NFLX) is creating appointment viewing with exclusive Christmas Day games that previously drew an average of 24 million viewers. In the sports betting sector, an 8.5% year-over-year increase in wagering to a projected $30 billion is expected to directly benefit market leaders DraftKings (DKNG) and Flutter (FLUT). Genius Sports (GENI) represents a critical infrastructure play as the exclusive provider of real-time NFL data, a position strengthened by the NFL's equity stake in the company. Finally, new investment models are emerging, with Ares Management (ARES) offering diversified exposure through its 10% stake in the Miami Dolphins, its stadium, and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should differentiate between media plays, weighing established broadcasters like Comcast (CMCSA) for their premium ad pricing power against growth-oriented streamers like Amazon (AMZN), which is demonstrating viewership expansion, and Netflix (NFLX), which is building a high-engagement event strategy.
• For exposure to the projected $30 billion sports wagering market, consider the pure-play market leaders DraftKings (DKNG) and Flutter (FLUT), or the critical data infrastructure provider Genius Sports (GENI), while treating Robinhood's (HOOD) entry into prediction markets as a speculative venture until market adoption is proven.
• Look beyond traditional media and betting stocks to unique strategic positions such as Disney (DIS), whose value could be enhanced by its deepening equity-based partnership with the NFL, and Ares Management (ARES), which offers a diversified portfolio of sports and live event assets.