The NFL has the highest attendance of any professional sports league in the world, drawing over 67,000 spectators per game.

The television rights to the NFL are the most lucrative and expensive rights not only of any American sport, but of any American entertainment property. Annually, the Super Bowl often ranks among the most watched shows of the year. Four of Neilson's top ten programs are Super Bowls. Networks have purchased a share of the broadcasting rights to the NFL as a means of raising the entire network's profile.

Under the current television contracts, regular season games are broadcast on five networks: CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and the NFL Network. Additionally, satellite broadcast companies offers a subscription based package, that allows most Sunday daytime regional games to be watched.