NFL rights talks could add more streamer-only packages
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is renegotiating the league's media rights, seeking to increase the value of its current $110 billion contract following the NBA's $76 billion deal. The NFL is leveraging intense competition from traditional broadcasters and streamers (Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN) for live sports content, which Goodell views as undervalued. Negotiations are expected to intensify, potentially leading to increased streaming packages and an expansion to an 18-game season for international growth.
Key Takeaways
- The NFL’s current media contract is worth $110 billion, and Goodell says the league believes its rights are undervalued.
- The NBA’s 2024 deal with Amazon, NBCUniversal, and Disney totaled $76 billion and helped push the NFL back into renegotiation mode.
- The league already splits rights across Amazon, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN/ABC, YouTube, and Netflix, with 86 of the top 100 TV broadcasts in 2025 being NFL games.
- The NFL is shopping a mini package that would include a September game in Australia plus domestic games, and the article says it likely goes to YouTube and Netflix.
- Robert Kraft says an 18-game season would add billions in value and could support 16 international games, with each team playing abroad every year through a streaming audience.
Why It Matters
The immediate effect is another round of pressure on streaming and broadcast buyers to pay more for a limited slate of live NFL inventory. The NFL already sits across Amazon, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, YouTube, and Netflix, so any new package would likely be additive rather than a clean shift away from TV. The broader issue is that live sports remain the clearest subscription driver, and the league is using that scarcity to reset the market. Watch for the next concrete package split: whether Netflix lands the Thanksgiving Eve/international add-on, and whether the Australia game becomes part of a broader streamer bundle.
Read full article at vanityfair.com
Enjoy our coverage?
Add StreamingMeme as a preferred source on Google to see more of our streaming news at the top of your Search results.
Add as preferred source