Netflix snagged global streaming rights for NFL Christmas Day games
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Just 11 months ago, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the streamer was “super excited about the success of our sports-adjacent programming,” but it’s going from adjacent to all in now, announcing a new three-year deal with the NFL to stream Christmas Day games. The NFL will announce its 2024 schedule tonight at 8PM ET, which is when we’ll learn which two games will be on Netflix this year.
As we’ve seen with previous NFL games shifted to streaming on Peacock and Amazon, the arrangement will include airing them on broadcast TV in the competing teams’ home markets, but elsewhere in the US, you’ll either need to have Netflix or watch on a mobile device with NFL Plus.
After 2024, the announcement says the deal includes “at least one holiday game each year” in 2025 and 2026. Netflix reportedly had competition from Amazon in bidding for the Christmas games, and The Wall Street Journal cites sources saying Netflix is paying about $75 million per game this year. That’s in addition to stuff like the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight and a $5 billion, 10-year arrangement with WWE that will start in January 2025, so don’t be surprised if the price for streaming increases and the push for bundles continues.
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Just 11 months ago, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the streamer was “super excited about the success of our sports-adjacent programming,” but it’s going from adjacent to all in now, announcing a new three-year deal with the NFL to stream Christmas Day games. The NFL will announce its 2024 schedule tonight at 8PM ET, which is when we’ll learn which two games will be on Netflix this year.
As we’ve seen with previous NFL games shifted to streaming on Peacock and Amazon, the arrangement will include airing them on broadcast TV in the competing teams’ home markets, but elsewhere in the US, you’ll either need to have Netflix or watch on a mobile device with NFL Plus.
After 2024, the announcement says the deal includes “at least one holiday game each year” in 2025 and 2026. Netflix reportedly had competition from Amazon in bidding for the Christmas games, and The Wall Street Journal cites sources saying Netflix is paying about $75 million per game this year. That’s in addition to stuff like the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight and a $5 billion, 10-year arrangement with WWE that will start in January 2025, so don’t be surprised if the price for streaming increases and the push for bundles continues.