The National Football League’s ability to reach its $25 billion revenue target hinges on kids like Ethan Minkoff, a 12-year-old New England Patriots fan whose iPhone 5c displays icons for the league’s mobile application, ESPN’s fantasy app and Electronic Arts Inc.’s Madden game.

A seventh grader with instant recall of his favorite players’ statistics -- quarterback Tom Brady and cornerback Darrelle Revis -- Minkoff said his penchant for football on the go makes him the rule, not exception, at Ephraim Curtis Middle School in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

“I watch the games on TV, but everything else is on my phone,” said Minkoff, who also uses a MacBook Pro and Xbox One. Sports leagues and advertisers are taking notice of their customers’ migration to mobile, said former National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern, who was dubbed “Digital Dave” because of his early adoption of new media.

“Digital holds great promise for revenue development, especially through social media,” Stern said. “And the potential for all forms of digital revenue growth on a global scale is extraordinary.”

Perkins Miller, the NFL’s chief digital officer, said he’s focused on video, social and mobile, which has posted better than 60 percent year-over-year growth. The NFL has seen “triple digit” growth in referrals from social media, while video consumption is up about 70 percent, Miller said without providing specifics.

The NFL has agreements with Google Inc.’s YouTube, Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., which Patriots President Jonathan Kraft, chairman of the league’s digital committee, has said generates “tens of millions of dollars.” The NFL last month said it would begin posting video clips on Facebook, after which an ad from league sponsor Verizon Wireless would be shown. Verizon customers can also watch live games on their devices.

Driving Force

“In four to five years, there will be even more traction and these will be a driving economic factor for us,” Miller said, declining to project digital revenue.

The predominant cash flow of professional sports teams comes from media, said Brian Rolapp, chief operating officer at the NFL, which reaped about $10 billion in revenue last season. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a stated goal of $25 billion by 2027.

The NFL, as it did last year, will stream the Feb. 1 Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and Patriots online and via its mobile app.

Lee Berke, a media consultant to professional sports teams and college athletic departments, said leagues are only beginning to learn how to profit from new technology.

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