Netflix’s taste for sports is reportedly growing.
The streaming giant is now in talks to double its current two-game package with the NFL, according to The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, the WSJ reports, Netflix is looking to add the league’s new Thanksgiving Eve game as well as one of its international matchups.
Contacted by the Daily Mail, a Netflix spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company ‘did not participate in the [Wall Street Journal] story.’
The Daily Mail has also sought comment from the NFL.
It’s unclear how much Netflix could pay for two more games, but it has spent $75 million for its three-year Christmas Day package, which is entering its final season.
Netflix’s appetite for live sports continues to grow following widely viewed events like Jake Paul’s 2024 boxing match with a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, as well as the aforementioned NFL games and some WWE content.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) are interviewed by Netflix reporter Stacey Dales following a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and Netflix host Michael Irvin celebrates while eating a steak after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day
Most recently, the Major League Baseball season opened on Netflix, although fans were largely upset at the prospect of having to navigate and pay another streaming service.
‘Netflix broadcasting a baseball game to the whole country in an absurd marketing stunt at the start of the MLB season,’ one critic wrote on X.
‘It was a bad decision to put the mlb opener on netflix,’ another added. ‘[For] the first time in thirty years I [don’t] get to see opening day. thanks guys.’
‘Looking forward to NOT being able to watch my Giants play the Yanks on opening day tonight thanks to Netflix, despite paying the annual fee for the baseball app,’ one fan wrote on X, referring to MLB.TV’s $29.99 monthly plan. ‘MLB is just as bad as football. Gotta have like 4 diff streaming services if you wanna actually see all games.’
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and wide receiver Kavontae Turpin (9) are interviewed by Kay Adams and Michael Irvin after the game against the Commanders
Netflix Broadcaster and NFL Quarterback Jameis Winston interviews Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees before the game against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day
Baseball fans’ agitation extended to the platform’s new scorebug, a digital scoreboard fixed to the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
‘This score bug is AWFUL,’ read a post from the popular X account, @SleeperMLB.
‘I didn’t think a scorebug could get worse than the Bally Sports one,’ another added, referring to what is now known as FanDuel Sports Network. ‘Netflix may have just proven me wrong.’
It’s a criticism Netflix and other streaming platforms have faced as they’ve dipped their toes into live sports. But in this case, baseball fans were remarkably specific.
‘… I like the aesthetic and concept, but the text is shockingly small,’ one fan noted during the Yankees’ 7-0 win. ‘The pitcher and batter text is the smallest I have ever seen on any sports scorebug/lower third.’
Some kept it fairly simple: ‘This scorebug has me squinting.’
‘What on God’s green Earth is this Netflix scorebug,’ asked one fan of the icon at the bottom of the screen.
‘That Netflix scorebug is irritating me,’ another added.
And the complaints didn’t end with the scorebug. Fans also offered other production notes to the Netflix crew in San Francisco.
‘Relax on the zoom with the cameras,’ read one suggestion. ‘Can’t see much of anything when the balls (sic) in play.’
And Netflix isn’t done with the 2026 MLB season. The service will also stream the Home Run Derby and the annual ‘Field of Dreams’ game from Iowa between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins.
As is often the case when a network or streaming platform tries its hand at sports, fans were initially confused by the scorebug, the digital icon that displays the game’s pertinent details
Although the NFL is in the midst of an 11-year, $110 billion deal with its media partners, the league did reclaim rights to four games in its new joint partnership between NFL Network and Disney’s ESPN.
The Journal further reports that a fifth game is up for grabs, this one being a part of the NFL’s international series. A source told the newspaper that the league is taking a flexible approach to selling its stand-alone games.
Potential buyers include Google’s YouTube, which carried an international game last season, as well as Amazon.
Meanwhile, the NFL is reportedly eyeing new negotiations for its media deal after seeing the NBA’s $77 billion contract with ESPN, Amazon and NBC.
The NFL can opt out of its current media deal before the 2030 season.
