Netflix Expands NFL Game Offerings
(AP) – Netflix is set to broaden its selection of NFL games, securing a year-round engagement with the league through a new agreement announced on Wednesday.
The streaming platform will showcase five regular season games and the NFL Honors until 2029. Since 2024, Netflix has been airing two games on Christmas Day. This update was shared during an introductory presentation for advertisers.
Specifically, Netflix aims to broadcast Week 1’s games, one on Thanksgiving Eve, two on Christmas Day, and another game at 1 PM ET on the final Saturday of the regular season.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that two of those games—including matchups against the Los Angeles Rams—will be streamed. The Week 1 game will feature the Rams competing against the San Francisco 49ers from Melbourne, Australia. Following that, the Rams will face the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Eve, November 25.
Both games will air during prime time, starting at 8:35 PM ET. In the US, the first week’s games are scheduled for September 10, with the Melbourne game kicking off at 10:35 AM on September 11, 14 hours ahead of New York and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles or San Francisco.
This game involving the NFC West rivals is part of nine international games the NFL will host this season, with the league revealing more details on international standards earlier Wednesday morning.
“We’ve noticed the number of fans tuning into Netflix, so we believed it was a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our partnership and widen the audience for these games,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution. He added that aligning these games with major holidays could enhance their visibility and overall impact.
The Thanksgiving Eve and Week 18 games are part of the four games that the league regained after ESPN took over the NFL Network. Previously, the Week 1 matchup was aired on YouTube.
NFL Honors started during the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis as a platform for announcing award winners. Initially held the night before the Super Bowl, it was moved in 2022 to Thursday during Super Bowl week, shifting to a global audience after being traditionally broadcast by the Super Bowl network.
NFL Honorees include Associated Press Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coaching awards, and Comeback Player of the Year.
The complete schedule, featuring Christmas Day games, will be released Thursday night. For Saturday’s Week 18 games, which will also include matchups at 4:30 PM and 8:15 PM ET on ESPN/ABC, the league has opted to announce them just six days in advance, focusing on playoff-related contests.
The regular season schedule was finalized on Tuesday morning.
Additionally, Netflix announced the third season of its documentary series featuring quarterbacks, spotlighting players like Jaden Daniels from Washington, Baker Mayfield from Tampa Bay, 2025’s top draft pick Cam Ward from Tennessee, and Joe Flacco, who began the season with Cleveland before his trade to Cincinnati.
