What kind of changes will the NFL schedule see this year?
What kind of changes will the NFL schedule see this year?
There are more NFL games coming to streaming services this year, and other changes could be in store as well.
The annual schedule release is an important part of the NFL’s bid to dominate the calendar year-round. The schedule is expected to come out in mid-May and could include some key differences from past years. We’ll let you know what you can expect, including which games you can expect to see on streaming services.
To start with, the NFL is increasing its streaming presence on Christmas Day as compared to 2024. Last year, the league had two games on Christmas, streaming both live on Netflix in the streamer’s first NFL partnership. This year, the NFL will offer a Christmas Day tripleheader, playing two games on Netflix and another on Prime Video.
Speaking of Prime Video, that service will have more flexibility in the way it presents games as compared to years past. This offseason, NFL team owners approved a rule allowing Sunday games to be moved to “Thursday Night Football” with 21 days’ notice. Previously, 28 days’ notice was required to flex games to Thursdays. That could lead to better on-field matchups for “TNF.”
The league is headed back to Brazil this year; will that game be a streaming exclusive? Last year’s contest saw the Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo, and the game was presented on Peacock for national audiences.
Expanding on the theme of international games, the league will present seven of them this year, setting a new record. Regular season contests in Ireland and Spain have been added to the slate, and traditionally, the NFL has put these overseas contests on NFL Network.
The trick here is that NFL Network might soon be changing hands. ESPN has re-engaged with the league regarding a possible sale of NFL Media to the network, and if that sale is closed before the season starts, the possibility exists that international games will be streamed on the new ESPN platform Flagship, which is due to launch before football season.
The NFL is the most popular sport in the United States, and it has the power to bring an audience with it to just about any platform it chooses. It will be fascinating to see how many NFL games end up as streaming exclusives in 2025.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.