Netflix eyes NFL’s Sunday afternoon broadcast rights—CBS or FOX could lose their decades-long grip

Natasha Bose

Last updated: February 18, 2025 - 3 min read

Netflix targets CBS, FOX for Sunday NFL rights shakeup.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Netflix is setting its sights on one of the NFL’s most valuable assets: Sunday afternoon games. Forget small-time slots—this is prime-time territory, currently owned by CBS and FOX. With the NFL able to end their contracts early, Netflix is ready to step in with its $450 billion war chest. If they succeed, it won’t just be a deal—it’ll be a takedown. Someone’s losing, and Netflix is ready to win.

If Netflix takes CBS and FOX’s Sunday NFL packages, a billion-dollar shakeup is coming

Netflix isn’t here to play small. Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, told Puck’s Matt Belloni (via John Ourand of Puck*) that the streaming giant plans to bid on the NFL’s Sunday afternoon games. Those slots have been locked down for years—FOX has had the NFC since 1994, and CBS took over the AFC package from NBC in 1998.

A major shakeup in the broadcast landscape of NFL games could be coming by the end of the decade; Netflix is looking to snag a Sunday afternoon package from Fox or CBS. https://t.co/yrAAJjvNmt
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 18, 2025

The NFL’s current contracts with CBS and FOX are set to expire in 2033. But here’s the catch: the league can kill the deal four years early. And if Netflix is flashing its checkbook, the NFL will almost definitely exercise that option. That means either CBS or FOX loses their Sunday spot—or worse, gets shoved into the low-profile Sunday morning slot.

Netflix has the cash, the reach, and the hunger to outbid CBS and FOX for the NFL’s biggest day

Netflix isn’t new to live sports, but this is different—it’s bigger. With a market capitalization of over $450 billion, they can easily outbid CBS and FOX, whose futures in NFL coverage suddenly look shaky.

And Netflix isn’t just throwing money around without experience. They’ve already secured the NFL’s Christmas Day games and broadcast live events like WWE, major boxing matches, and soon, the Women’s World Cup. NFL Sunday afternoons would cement Netflix as a major player in live sports streaming.

The NFL is chasing global dominance, and Netflix offers something CBS and FOX can’t: a global audience. That’s why this deal feels inevitable. Netflix has the reach, the money, and the tech to stream Sunday afternoon games to millions—without cable.

But this means either CBS or FOX is on the chopping block. They’ve been NFL cornerstones for decades, but if the NFL pulls the plug early, one of them is gone—or relegated to Sunday morning irrelevance. With Netflix flexing its $450 billion muscle, it’s hard to imagine a world where they don’t win this battle.

Image: Imagn Images

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Natasha Bose

I write about sports because, well, it brings in the big bucks! I’m not some lifelong analyst or stats guru, truth being told, you've probably never heard of me!—I just know how to research, write, and make things sound good. That’s the job!
Got into sports media the same way most people do: by (fortunate) accident. Started with SEO writing, took on a few sports gigs, and now here we are! I cover games, trades, player drama—whatever needs words.
Favorite part? The chaos. One day it's a blockbuster trade, the next it's a goat running onto the field. Never boring.
Message to readers: If you want deep analysis, there are people for that. If you want sharp, no-BS writing that actually makes sense, stick around.