259,000 people tuned in to watch NFL player Travis Kelce date 50 women on the premiere of his E! reality dating show, “Catching Kelce,” in 2016.
Apparently, Kelce only needed to date one to attract an audience of 27 million.
That woman, of course, is Taylor Swift. And all she had to do was simply attend an NFL game to break national television ratings records.
On Oct. 1, when Swift made her second appearance in the stands (this time with friends Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman and Sophie Turner) to watch the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, who is her new reported beau, she brought an average of 27 million viewers to NBC and Peacock. The game against the New York Jets ranked as the most-watched Sunday program since the Super Bowl, spiking female viewership by more than 35%. Nielsen says 53% more teenage girls watched Sunday Night Football than last season, thanks to the pop star’s attendance.
The week before, when a red-lipped Swift made her first surprise NFL appearance when the Chiefs played the Bears on Fox, essentially confirming her linkage to Kelce, footage of her cheering “Let’s fucking go!” as he scored a touchdown ignited a media firestorm.
Heading into the Week 5 game — where it’s unknown if Swift will be in attendance to cheer on the Chiefs as they take on the Minnesota Vikings — the chatter has not slowed down.
Kelce’s profile has jumped exponentially, ever since being linked to Swift. Kelce gained more Instagram followers after Swift’s televised appearances than he did after all three Super Bowls he played in… combined.
“I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl, and right now even more on top of the world, so it’s fun man,” Kelce told reporters at a post-practice press conference on Friday, explaining that he’s still getting used to the paparazzi and attention. “You’ve got a lot of people that care about Taylor, for good reason. So, just gotta keep living and earning and enjoying the moments. At the end of the day, I’ve always been pretty good about compartmentalizing and being able to stay focused in this building and I’ll just keep rolling with that.”
Today, Kelce is officially the most popular athlete in America. He is also one of the most in-demand celebrities in the country right now, per new data obtained by PvNew. Parrot Analytics, which compiles research based on Wikipedia, Google, social media and more, found that since Sept. 25, the day after Swift attended the Chiefs-Bears game, Kelce has become the third most-searched public figure in the U.S, only behind Beyoncé and — you guessed it — Swift.
“I think all of us have been surprised just how much attention has been placed on the story,” says Ian Trombetta, senior VP of social and influencer marketing for the NFL. “We have celebrities, big influencers and creators at games every single week. We had Kim Kardashian help us launch the halftime show announcement with Usher earlier that morning, so we’re talking about some of the biggest names on the planet. But what’s been interesting is the fascination around, ‘Is there a relationship there?’ and ‘How does that all work out beyond just Taylor showing up at a game?’ That storyline has really fed this global surge of attention.”
Jersey sales with Kelce’s name and number have skyrocketed 400% since the Swift effect set in. “New Heights,” the podcast Kelce co-hosts with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, is No. 1 on Spotify and Apple and added more than 200,000 YouTube subscribers in two weeks. And if you’re wondering who the second most-searched sports figure is in America this week — it’s Jason Kelce.
It’s no secret that Swift is good for business. And there’s no doubt that the NFL — and every other affiliated network, product and individual — is reaping the benefits.
But, how much is too much?
“Is the NFL overdoing it? Take away your feelings for Taylor Swift,” Jason Kelce asked his brother on their podcast this past week (which clocked 990,000 views in 48 hours). Travis responded, “I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game. But at the same time, they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure… Especially my situation.”
Friday, he backed that up in a press conference, adding, “Whether I think they’re overdoing it or not, I know I brought this to myself. I’ve been fortunate enough to have fun with it.”
Indeed, coverage surrounding the NFL has centered around Swift more than the games over the past two weeks. The league caught some heat from football fans when it changed its TikTok and Instagram bios to incorporate Swift. But that’s all part of the social strategy for both the league and the sports networks. In fact, NFL posts on average of 1,200 to 1,500 times per week across platforms.
@nfl welcome to NY, it’s been waiting for ya
