Fantasy football season starts well before season kickoff; now’s your chance to drive traffic and boost sales at your sports bar or restaurant. Hosting fantasy football drafts means longer stays, bigger tabs and loyal guests who keep coming back week after week. With DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS®, you’ll have the ultimate game-day lineup to keep fans engaged all season long.
Ready to draft a winning season for your business? Explore DIRECTV packages built for sports bars and restaurants.
What Is Fantasy Football?
Fantasy football allows fans to draft their own virtual teams using real-life NFL players. Teams earn points for their fantasy football team based on how players perform in real games. Fantasy football leagues typically consist of eight to 12 teams. During the fantasy draft, team owners take turns selecting players, such as quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, to build their rosters. The goal is to score the most points over the course of the season and ultimately win the league championship.
Fantasy football leagues are made up of coworkers, friends or even people they don’t know, and many fans participate in multiple leagues at once. People who play fantasy football are more likely to watch more games because they are rooting for players on different teams as opposed to just watching the games of their favorite team.
Need more info? Check out our Fantasy Football Playbook for key details.
Fantasy Football by the Numbers
Here’s why this isn’t just a fan favorite—it’s a revenue opportunity:
- 80% of all fantasy participants play fantasy football
- 84% of fantasy players host a draft party with an average spend of $653
- $13.2 billion was spent in 2024 on fantasy sports—a 20% increase from 2023
- 14 million women played fantasy football in 2024
That’s a big audience looking for the perfect draft-day hangout.
When Does Fantasy Football Start?
The earlier you start promoting your draft-friendly setup, the better your shot at winning league business. Most fantasy football drafts are typically held throughout August into early September, right before the season starts on Thursday, September 4, 2025.
How To Draw Fantasy Football Players To Your Sports Bar
Drafts can take anywhere from two to four hours, depending on the number of people in a league. And a lot of leagues like to make the drafting process an event. Here are some tips on how to become the go-to sports bar for fantasy football leagues:
- Reliable Wi-Fi: No one wants to miss out on their top pick because of an unstable internet connection. Make sure that your sports bar has reliable Wi-Fi so fantasy football leagues can draft with confidence.
- Be prepared: If your fantasy draft customers aren’t drafting online, be sure to give them the draft board, sheets and stickers needed so they can track their drafts.
- Food & Drink Specials: The more people in a fantasy football league, the longer the draft process will take. Providing deals on food and drinks for Fantasy Football leagues can keep customers ordering more and help score a win for your bottom line.
- Premium seating: Make sure each league has plenty of comfortable seating and sufficient lighting to make the right choices.
- Bring down the noise: Fantasy football players need to be able to make decisions quickly. Turning down the TV or music noise in your bar can help Fantasy Draft customers concentrate and give them a better drafting experience.
- Contests: Holding a trivia contest or drawing for the Fantasy Draft guests are great ways to keep football fans coming back.
- Score with our MVP Kit: DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS customers receive our dedicated Fantasy Football kit, which includes custom marketing materials and our Fantasy Football Playbook with tips and tricks on how to make this a winning season for your business.
Score Big with DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS
Ready to turn your business into the ultimate fantasy football headquarters? DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS has you covered with a winning selection of affordable sports packages. NFL Sunday Ticket gives your business access to up to 200 games across 18 weeks. Your business will also get access to out-of-market NFL games so fans can watch their favorite team no matter which market they’re in. And with DIRECTV’s MVP program, you’ll get complimentary promotional materials you need to turn your restaurant or bar into the ultimate football headquarters. Plus, make sure that fantasy football fans can catch every game with NFL Network, Thursday Night Football and Red Zone from NFL Network. Call 888.303.9117 to get started.
