Under the leadership of the International Committee, the NFL announced today the Los Angeles Rams will add New Zealand as their fourth International Home Marketing Area (IHMA). With the expansion of the program, New Zealand will join Australia, China and Mexico as a Rams' IHMA.
The Rams will have the ability to market in New Zealand for at least a five-year term, during which the team can pursue activities that are consistent with what they are doing domestically in Los Angeles. This includes in-person and digital marketing, corporate sponsorship sales, fan events and activations, youth football activities, merchandise sales and co-marketing relationships with other sports and entertainment properties in the market.
The International HMA initiative grants NFL clubs access to international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of an important, long-term, strategic effort to enable clubs to build their global brands while driving NFL fan growth internationally. As part of Tuesday's announcement, the NFL announced that four new IHMAs have been approved. The expanded program now includes 19 teams with access to 30 IHMAs across 10 different countries.
Since the IHMA program launched in January, the Rams have leveraged digital programming and platforms to engage fans abroad more deeply with the team. During the 2021 NFL Playoffs and their Super Bowl LVI victory at SoFi Stadium, the Rams hosted watch parties in Australia, China and Mexico.
The Rams also have provided fans in Mexico with opportunities to win Super Bowl LVI tickets, autographed memorabilia, merchandise and other exclusive prizes through a Super Bowl LVI Sweepstakes and interactive games such as Rams Pick'em and Digital Lotería. In Australia, Rams fans can follow Los Angeles Rams on Facebook to keep up with the latest information and Australia-specific content. In China, the Rams launched a Weibo account in 2017 and on Douyin in 2021 and continues to deliver content on both platforms for their Chinese fans.
