• by Wayne Friedman , August 26, 2019

With the new NFL season just over a week from starting, the league has sharply ramped up its national/regional TV marketing versus a year ago.

Over a month-long period, July 26 through August 26, there have been 2,652 airings of NFL advertising and promo messages versus 1,484 airings a year ago, according to iSpot.tv.

This has resulted in the NFL amassing 879 million marketing impressions, versus 419 million in 2018.

While the NFL has nearly doubled the airings of promos on its own cable channel, the NFL Network, broadcast networks — and their sister cable networks — have also seen a big boost in marketing time.

During the last month, NFL Network has had 2,332 airings advertising/promos. ESPN was at 99; ESPN2, 68; ESPN Deportes, 60; CBS, 59; NBC, 47; Fox, 22; NBCSN, 22; and Fox Deportes,16.

NBC and NBCUniversal cable networks in particular have seen a sharp rise in the number of promos aired. A year ago, NBC Television Network aired 12. This year it's 47.

NBCUniversal's non-sports cable networks have seen a number of airings -- MSNBC and USA Network each with 10, followed by CNBC with 9; Oxygen 8; Syfy, 7; E! and Telemundo each with 6; Bravo and The Golf Channel, 5 each; and NBCUniverso, 4.

A year ago, The NFL Network had 1,216 airings. Fox was at 12, ESPN Deportes, 95; Fox Sports 1, 71; ESPN, 54; Fox, 12; NBC 12; ESPN, 11; CBS, 7; and Fox Deportes, 4.

This year, iSpot.tv estimates paid TV advertising for the NFL to be $5.5 million for national and regional TV advertising over the month-long period.