The first NFL regular-season game ever played in Australia kicks off at 10.35am local time on Friday, September 11, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the US, it is streaming only on Netflix, with no broadcast television partner.
Netflix’s Melbourne opener is part of a wider push. The streamer has five NFL games this season, up from the two Christmas Day matches it had before, and has extended its deal with the league through the 2029-30 season.
The president’s warning from May
In an interview with Full Measure that aired in May, Trump said he did not like the direction the league was heading.
“There’s something very sad when they take football away from many, many people.”
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Speaking to Sharyl Attkisson, he warned the league could “be killing the golden goose” by pushing more games behind subscriptions.
“You have people that live for Sunday. They can’t think about anything else, and then all of a sudden, they’re gonna have to pay $1,000 a game? It’s crazy, so I’m not happy about it.”
The thousand-dollar figure traces back to Republican Senator Mike Lee, who estimated that a fan wanting to watch every NFL game in a season would need to spend close to that amount on cable and streaming services combined. Trump indicated his administration could look at intervening.
An antitrust investigation, already open
By April, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice had opened an investigation into whether the NFL’s media practices are anticompetitive. At issue is the antitrust protection the league has under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which lets it sell its television rights collectively rather than team by team.
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Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, defended the current setup.
“We love our model. We think we have the most fan-friendly model there is of any sport or entertainment as far as distribution.”
What following a full slate actually costs
Watching every game this season means stacking subscriptions. Yahoo Sports lists Amazon Prime Video at $15 a month or $139 a year for the exclusive Thursday Night Football package, Paramount+ at $8.99 a month for CBS games, and YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket from $99.49 a month for the first three months. Netflix, Peacock and the ESPN app each carry further exclusive windows on top of that.
Netflix’s next NFL date after Melbourne is a Thanksgiving Eve game between the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams on November 25.
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