The NFL Loves Netflix. But Does Netflix Want to Love the NFL?

The assumption has been that the streamers will need sports as much as the leagues need the streamers. The reality is more complicated.

A couple weeks ago, a steady stream of media and sports heavyweights could be found at the white-marbled Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., where the NFL was hosting its annual owners’ meetings. The conclave is a big deal for the league—an occasion for it to hash out its multibillion dollar business deals and discuss what the future may hold.

The latest gathering, which lasted over four days, had a notable first-time guest: Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. He came for a panel discussion about sports on streaming-video services like Netflix, and there the league revealed that Netflix would air two Christmas Day games in 2025 just as it did in 2024.

Everyone knew Netflix would do at least one Christmas game as part of a three-year deal that began with a pair of Christmas matches last year, the first NFL games ever broadcast on Netflix. But the deal only requires Netflix to air one game per year. The media world saw the decision to have two games again as Netflix’s acknowledgment that it’s interested in nurturing its nascent relationship with the league, after decades of resisting live sports.