Netflix Searching for Partner to Produce NFL Christmas Day Games; Are Broadcasters Afraid to Work With Streamer?
Netflix Searching for Partner to Produce NFL Christmas Day Games; Are Broadcasters Afraid to Work With Streamer?
ESPN has already bowed out of the race to produce Netflix’s Christmas games, and CBS and Fox may not have much enthusiasm to help.
Netflix is trying to do some early Christmas shopping, but all it’s turned up so far is lumps of coal. The world’s largest streamer announced a deal to stream a doubleheader of NFL games on Christmas Day 2024 earlier this month, but it still doesn’t have a partner to actually produce the telecasts. There’s still time for Netflix to find someone to handle those duties, but the world’s largest streamer may struggle to find someone to help it bring the games to life. It is possible that broadcast companies with NFL experience might be leery of helping the streaming giant establish itself in the football space when it could mean another deep-pocketed player when the league’s next broadcast contracts are up for negotiation.
Key Details:
- Unlike “WWE Raw,” NFL games don’t have a production team in place, and the burden falls on the broadcaster to provide that team.
- ESPN is unable to produce Netflix’s NFL games because of its duties broadcasting college football the same day.
- Comcast and Paramount Global have also been contacted by Netflix, but there’s no sign of a deal with either yet.
The responsibility of actually producing the broadcast of an NFL game normally falls to the network or streaming service that’s airing the matchup. Streamers who specialize in on-demand content don’t usually have these types of teams in house who specialize in live event production, and therefore often work with outside production companies and broadcasters. Prime Video signed a deal with NBCUniversal to produce its “Thursday Night Football” games in 2022 when it began exclusively airing the weekly games.
According to a report from CNBC, Netflix has contacted NBCU’s parent company Comcast and Paramount Global — whose broadcast channel CBS offers around half of the NFL’s Sunday afternoon games every week — about handling production of the Christmas games. Netflix has also been in touch with ESPN, who declined to partner with the streamer as its broadcasting teams would be busy with college football productions that day.
The report indicates that Netflix is looking for a setup similar to what Prime Video has with NBCU for “TNF” games. Amazon handles pregame and postgame coverage, as well as its halftime show, but NBC Sports takes care of hiring workers and the production of the game itself. Netflix is due to begin offering weekly episodes of “WWE Raw” live starting in 2025, but the deal comes with the wrestling promotion’s pre-built production team ready to go.
Do Broadcasters Fear Netflix?
In addition to the types of scheduling issues that prevent ESPN from partnering with Netflix, there could be hesitance from broadcasters to help Netflix put on its Christmas games because the streamer poses a direct threat to their future as NFL distributors. The league’s current broadcast deal with Amazon, CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN officially expires in 2033, but the league has an opt-out clause that it could trigger as soon as 2030.
Netflix could see its recent deal with the NFL — which will give it Christmas Day streams of games for at least the next three seasons — as an audition for a pursuit of more NFL games the next time the league is ready to negotiate its contracts. CBS and Fox could be leery about helping Netflix succeed if that’s the case, but there are other options out there, according to digital media investment expert Jonathan Miller of Integrated Media.
“It’s not easy to do an NFL game at a level that people are used to watching, which is a very high level and well produced,” Miller told CNBC. “But there’s a number of options out there that can pull it together without Netflix having a fully staffed sports division.”
The streamer could turn to IMG, which is owned by Endeavor Group Holdings and which is responsible for producing Major League Soccer games for Apple’s streamer MLS Season Pass. Pressure from the league could also help Netflix find a partner, as the league is not going to let the issue turn into a publicity fiasco. The NFL already has one such potential imbroglio on its hands with the ongoing NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit.
There’s basically no chance that Netflix won’t find a partner to help it produce Christmas Day NFL games this year, but the issue does present a fascinating window into the state of sports broadcasting. Leagues are trying to navigate the transition to streaming without taking too much away from the linear partners who still make up the bulk of their revenue, and a delicate balance between the needs of both types of providers must be struck.
Netflix
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