Netflix has been slowly dipping its toe into the live sports waters, and they apparently are looking for even more. The streaming giant has the NFL on its mind.
Netflix’s chief content officer told Puck Sports that the streaming company wants to bid on a Sunday package of games. The NFL currently has games on traditional television partners like CBS, ESPN, FOX and NBC. It has added streaming-only packages in recent years with Amazon and Netflix.
Amazon has the package for “Thursday Night Football,” while Netflix got the Christmas package for out-of-market viewers. Netflix would like to have one of the Sunday afternoon packages that currently belong to CBS and FOX.
FOX has held the NFC package of Sunday regional games since 1994, while CBS has held the AFC package since 1998.
If Netflix wants one of those packages, they would likely have the money to make it happen. They have a market capitalization of over $450 billion, which would put them in position to outbid most parties that could have interest in broadcasting NFL games.
The NFL’s current media deal runs through 2033. However, the league has the ability to terminate its contract four years earlier. If they know Netflix will be bidding, the league will probably want to excercise its early termination option.
Netflix has gotten into streaming live sports in the last two years. They have added a WWE package, the NFL Christmas package, some boxing matches, and they will broadcast the women’s World Cup in the future. They will likely have more NFL games in the coming years too.
