Despite getting mixed reviews on its first-ever stream of an MLB game on Opening Night, Netflix is moving ahead with plans to add even more live sports to its platform. The streamer has been expected to be a major player for more NFL games as the league renegotiates its broadcast deals, and more details have now emerged about the package Netflix wants to pursue.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report that Netflix is officially looking to expand its NFL package. The streamer wants to keep the annual Christmas Day doubleheader it first won the rights to in 2024.

In 2026, however, Netflix wants to add a game on Thanksgiving Eve, as well as one of the several international games the league currently has to sell — most likely during the league’s opening week of play. The league reclaimed the rights to four international games in its recent deal to sell NFL Media to ESPN, and could pull games out of existing packages with TV partners to sell to the highest bidder.

The NFL already has broadcast deals with programmers in place for the next decade, but the league feels that its rights are undervalued. It is approaching current partners with a deal: give the league more money for rights packages now, and it will waive the 2029 opt-out clause in its current agreements that would send those rights to the open market.

The league is currently negotiating with CBS, and Fox is expected to be next on the list. The NFL could try to claw back more games from its Sunday packages to sell to streaming services, but Fox has already signalled that it won’t be surrendering a large inventory of games for the NFL to sell to its competition.

Netflix will have competition among streaming platforms such as Prime Video and YouTube for the games it wants to acquire. Prime Video hosts “Thursday Night Football” and the new Black Friday game, while YouTube broadcast its first live NFL game last season.

However, the world’s largest streamer already has a solid relationship with the league and has proven that it is willing to pay for high-profile sporting events. So, fans shouldn’t be at all surprised to see Netflix succeed in acquiring two additional NFL games per season, as it reportedly wants to do.

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Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”

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The platform constantly updates its catalog, introducing fresh content alongside timeless classics and international hits. Netflix’s commitment to storytelling has also earned critical acclaim, with award-winning exclusives such as “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Mank,” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” In 2023, their animated film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, further solidifying Netflix’s reputation for high-quality content.

Recently, Netflix has expanded beyond standard movies and TV titles with the addition of video podcasts, and is also exploring a digital store that would offer third-party streamers within the app.

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