The National Football League (NFL) has hired US media company, Horizon Media, as its official global media agency, covering strategy, activation, planning, and measurement, following the account’s extensive six-month competitive review.

Horizon will be responsible for optimising the NFL’s digital inventory, including league-owned and operated channels such as the NFL Network, through the acquisition of broadcast and digital partnership deals.

The media services company will lead all paid media, partnering with the NFL on both paid and owned asset optimisation to strengthen fandom and engagement.

As the league continues to increase its global expansion footprint, Horizon will help the NFL grow in international business markets such as Canada, Mexico, and the UK, whilst driving awareness and subscriptions for their over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, NFL+.

The NFL previously had multiple agencies handling media strategy and inventory which will now be led by Horizon, with AdAge reporting the league spent the majority of its USD $30 million (AUD $44.6 million) budget on digital properties.

Horizon will support the league in determining the best use of its inventory across the calendar year, including the regular season, NFL Draft, Combine, and playoffs.

Commenting on the deal, NFL VP of consumer media, Dave Bolger, said: “As we continue to refine our approach to fan development and engagement, we were looking for a partner to help us combine the intelligent use of data-driven media activations with our best-in-class storytelling.”

“Horizon and its global affiliates demonstrated that ability at every step of the process. Their fan-first planning approach, coupled with their impressive capabilities across the media landscape, will surely help us bolster our efforts to grow fandom and NFL affinity around the globe,” Bolger said.

Horizon Media CEO, Bill Koenigsberg, added: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with such an iconic symbol of American culture to bring our unbeatable combination of world-class people and innovative data solutions together for a winning combination for many years to come.”

This announcement comes after the NFL revealed its latest venture in a new platform partnership.