Report: Netflix to snap up domestic rights to NFL Xmas games - Sportcal

Report: Netflix to snap up domestic rights to NFL Xmas games – Sportcal

Posted by author May 13, 2024 Football

Netflix would join the NFL’s vast domestic media rights partner line-up. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

Content streaming service Netflix is in negotiations with American football’s NFL over exclusively streaming the two Christmas Day games the US league will be putting on in 2024, it has been reported.

Various media reports have now cited Netflix as being the favorite to secure domestic rights to those games, but that work is still to be done before any contract is officially signed. This would be the first time that live NFL action is covered by Netflix, which has been slowly but steadily increasing its live sports output in recent years.

Last year, Christmas NFL games were covered by the CBS, Fox, and ABC networks.

However, in March it was reported that the league would be changing its approach to domestic coverage of games on that holiday, and would be putting the rights for these fixtures specifically up for tender.

It has been reported that the talks between the NFL and Netflix have gone on longer than expected and that this has delayed the release of the 2024 NFL schedule – teams had initially expected the calendar of next season’s fixtures to be out on May 9, but that has now been postponed until May 15.

While, as previously mentioned, Netflix has never covered NFL games live, it aired the Quarterback documentary series – focusing on three NFL players in that position – in 2023, and will showcase a similar series, Receiver, later this year.

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Netflix would join the NFL’s domestic media rights partner line-up, comprising ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube TV.

In late March, the NFL announced two games during the 2024 season that will be broadcast exclusively on streaming services domestically.

The first of these two exclusive streaming games will take place in the first week of the season – the September 6 NFL International Series fixture to be played in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Featuring the Philadelphia Eagles as the designated home team, the game will be the first NFL fixture ever staged in Brazil and the first to be held on the Friday night of the season’s opening weekend since 1970. The fixture will be broadcast exclusively by Peacock, the OTT streaming service owned by media giant NBCUniversal.

The second game to be added to the slate of streaming-only broadcasts is an as-yet undecided NFL playoff WildCard round game which will be broadcast on the Prime Video service owned by Amazon.