The NFL has already dipped into streaming services as an option for airing games, with Amazon now the home of “Thursday Night Football” and Peacock carrying exclusive matchups, including one in the playoffs. Another service appears to be entering the chat: Netflix.
The streaming giant is reportedly in talks with the NFL to handle the broadcasting of a Christmas doubleheader in 2024, according to Puck’s John Ourand.
Known primarily as a streaming service of shows and movies rather than any live content, Netflix has dabbled more in live content lately, carrying the roast of Tom Brady and signing a deal to broadcast the WWE in addition to other tennis and boxing matches
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Many expected the NFL to release its 2024-25 schedule on Thursday. Instead, Ourand reported the delay to Wednesday is due to the ongoing negotiations with Netflix over the Christmas Day games.
Here’s what you need to know about Netflix’s potential streaming plans.
Is Netflix streaming Christmas Day NFL games?
There is nothing set in stone yet, per Ourand, but the NFL on Netflix is trending toward becoming a reality.
Netflix has reportedly made a strong push to land the NFL for the Christmas doubleheader, and it’s considered to be the frontrunner down the stretch. Ourand reported that, while other streaming services that have negotiated with the NFL in the past are more capable of turning around a deal like this in a shorter timeframe, it’s going to take longer to dot the i’s and cross the t’s with Netflix.
Ourand reported this won’t necessarily be a sign of things to come for Netflix, which is merely considering continuing its increased involvement in sports coverage.
Why would the NFL stream games on Netflix?
The incentive for the NFL is to potentially add another bidder for its TV rights and continue to amp up the cost of those games. Amazon reportedly paid $100 million to get the Black Friday game in 2023, and Ourand reported it could cost that or more to land two games on Christmas.
For NFL fans, it certainly appears as if they’ll need to add yet another streaming service to their list of subscriptions if they want access to every prime-time, holiday, and playoff game in 2024-25.
