Netflix courts NFL events

Netflix said on its April 16 earnings interview that it wants more National Football League games, but not a full season of weekly rights. (ir.netflix.net) Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said Netflix is “most interested in big breakthrough events” and is less interested in regular-season packages, according to reports from the Q1 2026 call. The company tied that approach to viewing and advertising returns rather than to building a traditional weekly sports schedule. (cordcuttersnews.com) That comment came four days after reports that the NFL is shopping a separate five-game package for the 2026 season and beyond, with Netflix, YouTube and Fox in the mix. The league is also expected to revisit broader media deals in the next rights cycle. (cordcuttersnews.com) Netflix already has a three-season Christmas Day deal with the NFL, and the 2024 debut gave the company a large proof point. Netflix said nearly 65 million U.S. viewers watched the two games on Dec. 25, 2024, and Nielsen data cited by the NFL put the U.S. average audience at 26.5 million across the doubleheader. (about.netflix.com) (nfl.com) The NFL said the two 2024 Christmas games also averaged 30.0 million and 31.3 million viewers globally and reached viewers in 218 countries and territories. Those numbers gave Netflix a global sports event that looked more like a holiday spectacle than a standard Sunday inventory play. (nfl.com) Netflix is already committed to two more Christmas Day doubleheaders. The NFL’s 2025 schedule release set Cowboys-Commanders and Lions-Vikings for Netflix on Dec. 25, 2025, and Netflix’s own 2025 game guide said those two games would stream worldwide on the service. (nfl.com) (netflix.com) The company’s live strategy has split between weekly programming and one-off events. Netflix signed a long-term deal for WWE Raw that began in January 2025, but it has also leaned into single-date sports events such as Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson in November 2024 and Major League Baseball Opening Night on March 25, 2026. (about.netflix.com 1) (about.netflix.com 2) (about.netflix.com 3) Those results have varied by format. Netflix said Paul-Tyson drew an estimated 108 million live viewers globally, while its first exclusive MLB Opening Night broadcast drew an estimated 3 million U.S. viewers, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. (about.netflix.com 1) (about.netflix.com 2) What Netflix has not said is that it wants to become a full-service football network. What it has said, on the record in April 2026, is that it sees the NFL as a source of event television — the kind that can pull a global audience on a single day. (ir.netflix.net) (cordcuttersnews.com)