The Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, living in the United States was 62.1 million, according to the 2020 U.S. Census—a group representing 18.9% of the country’s total population. According to the NFL, approximately 31 million are football fans, giving America’s most popular league one of the largest Latino fan bases of any sport in the country.
While the NFL continues to engage this audience via broadcasts on Spanish-language networks including Telemundo Deportes, playing games in Mexico City via the NFL International Series, and campaigns like “Por la Cultura” and partnerships with community organizations including the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement during Hispanic Heritage Month, the league is furthering its efforts via a new partnership with NGL Collective to create and amplify original content.
NGL Collective, the largest Latino-focused, digital-first media powerhouse in the U.S., is a result of a merger between NGL, a digital-first media and entertainment company co-founded by actor and activist John Leguizamo, and mitú, a leading Latino digital media company.
The NFL will generate more than 20 pieces of custom NFL El Snap content, which will be amplified across mitú social platforms, the No. 1 digital destination for Latinos in America.
“We want to make sure our overall marketing, our content and our partnerships reflect, celebrate and serve every aspect of our fanbase,” says Marissa Solis, NFL senior vice-president of global brand and consumer marketing. “And we are excited to partner with NGL and mitú to ensure our content will be placed at the heart of where bicultural NFL fans live on a daily basis.”
The first custom piece for NFL El Snap is a 13-part social meme series leveraging the fandoms of fútbol and football leading up to Super Bowl LVII on February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The second series is a five-part short-form video called “Latinos Don’t Do Basic Fandom” highlighting Latino super fans.
The partnership will also leverage the recently released “Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1,” a collaboration between the NFL and Neon16 highlighting modern Latin artists and sounds.
“Our company was founded on the principle of pioneering new ways to connect brands with our audience, and a digital connection with this new generation of Latinidad is at the core,” says Joe Bernard, NGL Collective chief revenue officer and partner. “Mitú built a loyal community of over 13 million followers and fans who communicate within this digital universe in the language of now. We are leveraging that expertise to help the NFL underscore its relevance to this audience.
“Our creative teams working alongside the NFL’s content team have taken the energy of NFL El Snap and placed it in front of our community, along with customized mitú/NFL content that we know resonates with our audiences. Together we are driving lift on the NFL’s social accounts by converting mitú loyalists to NFL fans.”
Last year, Telemundo became the first-ever Spanish-language broadcast network to air the Super Bowl, averaging 1.9 million viewers, making Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals the most-watched NFL game in U.S. Spanish-language history. The network is also the Spanish-language destination for Sunday Night Football for the next 12 seasons.
The NFL hopes its new partnership with NGL Collective will only further increase the fandom and connection to America’s Latinos.
“NGL’s reach and authenticity in the Latino community, and mitú, as the number one digital destination for Latinos in America, will help us continue to provide the Latino community with content made by and for them,” Solis says. “Our partnership signals the intersection between football culture, Latino culture and pop culture. The influence of the Latino community on mainstream culture is undeniable, and we look forward to working with NGL’s best-in-class ad network and mitú’s industry-leading content destination to bring NFL fans even closer to the game.”
