Netflix has scored the national distribution rights to two National Football League (NFL) games this season, the company announced on Wednesday.
The statement affirmed reports that first surfaced last week, which indicated that ongoing discussions between Netflix and the NFL were the primary reason why the full season schedule was not released earlier in the month as anticipated.
The full schedule is expected to be announced Wednesday evening on the NFL Network, but some key games and broadcast partners have already been announced ahead of the official release.
The two Christmas Day NFL games is the biggest sports telecast deal for Netflix, which has experimented with offering live events over the past two years, including some niche athletic competitions and tournaments.
Neither the NFL nor Netflix released information about which teams will participate in the two Christmas Day games, or when the games will air. Last year, three Christmas Day games aired on CBS, Fox and ABC, with the CBS game simulcast in a kid-friendly format on Nickelodeon.
“There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix,” Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, said in a statement.
The Netflix Christmas Day telecasts are also expected to be offered on local broadcast stations in the home markets of all teams playing that day.
The same will be true for Amazon’s first Thursday Night Football game of the season, which will see the Buffalo Bills travel to Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins on September 12. The game is expected to be offered over-the-air on broadcast stations in Buffalo and Miami.
Prime Video will also host another Black Friday game on November 29. In that game, the Kansas City Chiefs will play host to the Las Vegas Raiders. Again, the game is expected to air on broadcast stations in Kansas City and Las Vegas, with over-the-air partners announced at a later date.
The first Monday Night Football telecast of the 2024-25 season will see the New York Jets travel to Santa Clara to take on the San Francisco 49ers. The game will take place on September 9 and air live on ESPN and ABC. It will also stream on ESPN Plus.
The NFL also announced five international games that will take place this upcoming season, including a game in Brazil during Week 1. That game will see the Green Bay Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles on September 6, marking the official start of football season. The game will stream live on Comcast’s Peacock and NFL Plus.
Three games will take place throughout the season in the United Kingdom. The first game will take place on October 6 when the New York Jets take on the Minnesota Vikings during Week 5. The following week, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears travel to London, with the October 13 game also airing on NFL Network and streaming on NFL Plus. The U.K. games wrap up on October 20 when the New England Patriots take on the Jacksonville Jaguars during Week 7. All three London games will air on NFL Network and stream live on NFL Plus.
Germany will also play host to an NFL game this year, with the New York Giants meeting the Carolina Panthers in Munich during Week 10. The game, scheduled to take place on November 10, will air on NFL Network and stream live on NFL Plus.
Radio listeners can catch all NFL games on SiriusXM, which will provide home team broadcasts on XM and Sirius-capable satellite radios, and broadcasts from the home and away teams via the SiriusXM app. National radio broadcasts are also available for Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Black Friday, Christmas Day and international games.
Those who prefer to watch every game live can sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket, which is offered exclusively by YouTube. The cost of NFL Sunday Ticket is $450 per season when purchased through YouTube and $350 per season for subscribers of YouTube TV.
