Netflix is in the NFL business. And Netflix will significantly increase its current footprint, from two games in 2024 and 2025 to five in 2026. It also has aspirations to further expand the relationship.
But Netflix doesn’t want to be all in.
Via John Ourand of Puck, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said in an appearance on Fox Business that the company doesn’t want a full-season package of pro football games.
“We’re leaning into the eventized event,” Sarandos said. “We’re not bidding on whole seasons of sports, including the NFL.”
Via Sports Business Journal, the NFL pitched Netflix on a Sunday morning package of games. This would have undoubtedly consisted of international contests, which would be conducive to a global streaming platform. Netflix, however, wasn’t interested.
Netflix’s lack of ambition to buy a full-season package narrows the universe of potential alternatives to the current partners that have weekly packages: CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC/ESPN, and Prime Video. Which necessarily becomes a factor if/when one or more of them opt to wait until 2029 (2030 for ABC/ESPN) to renegotiate their current deals, in lieu of paying more now for contracts that cover four more seasons of football.
Still, there are others. Apple and YouTube could, in theory, take a full package. And Prime Video, if it wanted, could take two games per week.
However it plays out, the league and its current partners are in the early stages of a delicate game of chess, checkers, and chicken. With one of them (Fox) attempting to preserve the status quo by pressing the buttons of the political process.
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