As the NFL evolves towards newer broadcasting platforms, Commissioner Roger Goodell has responded to the criticism faced by the league surrounding this move. The NFL has been on television for over 85 years, with the first-ever game telecast occurring on October 22, 1939, when NBC aired a match between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now, as the league moves towards the next phase of sports broadcasting, Roger Goodell has revealed why the shift to the streaming platforms is justified, despite ongoing investigations from the Department of Justice.
“88 percent of our games, roughly, are on broadcast television,” Goodell said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “The other 12 percent are on platforms that are incredibly widely distributed, and people are already there. Netflix is not a small distribution. In fact, you can make an argument it’s bigger than some of the networks.”
This statement from Goodell comes up in the wake of the Department of Justice’s probe into whether the NFL is harming consumers in the way it sells its broadcast rights. The DOJ opened the investigation to ensure affordability and create an even playing field for providers, according to what a government official told ABC News.
The league continues to provide about 88% of NFL games on free-to-air broadcast television, a figure that climbs to 100% in a team’s local market. However, the remaining 12% of games are given to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and even YouTube, three of the world’s largest video streaming platforms. Most of these are headline games, like the Netflix that has the right to Sunday games, while Amazon has Thursday night games. This means that fans have to pay subscription costs to watch these games.
The shift has led to fan criticism, with the requirement of additional streaming subscriptions to watch games that were previously easily accessible on TV. However, the NFL, like other pro leagues in the USA, cannot ignore the bigger reach presented by these platforms. According to Nielsen’s February 2026 edition of The Gauge, streaming services accounted for 48% of all television viewing, over 21.7% on broadcast, and 20% on cable. This is the same month the Seattle Seahawks played the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, which indicates the shift in audience.
The driving factor behind giving games to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime is them shelling out big money for a smaller slew of games. Netflix paid a reported $150 million per year for rights to air Christmas Day games as part of a three-year deal. Similarly, Amazon pays approximately $1 billion per year for exclusive rights to NFL Thursday Night Football through 2033. This 11-year deal started in 2023 and covers 15 regular-season games and one preseason game annually.
With these significant figures, the league cannot certainly ignore the streaming market, which appears to be the future of sports broadcasting, despite the push from the Department of Justice. While the investigations are ongoing, the NFL has also been working on a deal to air five regular-season games per year with YouTube.
The NFL and YouTube are near a deal for a 5-game package
In a move aligning with the NFL’s transition toward streaming platforms, the NFL and YouTube are nearing a deal to air five game package on the streaming service. Front Office Sports reported the development as the league had extra inventory to sell after the end of “Monday Night Football” doubleheaders.
As ESPN took over NFL Network earlier this year and took on the games that had been airing on the league channel. However, as part of this deal, the global sports broadcasting leader gave back its Monday Night Football doubleheaders to the NFL.
This created a block of games, which is now expected to be taken over by YouTube. While the deal is expected to be completed soon, details like the cost and duration were not immediately available. Similarly, the dates or any specifics about the games involved are also not confirmed, but the week 1 international game between the San Francisco 49ers and the LA Rams, set to be played in Australia, could be one of the games on the platform.
With platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube commanding massive audiences and paying billions for broadcast rights, the league is likely to move in that direction to maximize profits. While fans may resist the change, the numbers make it clear that streaming is the future of sports broadcasting, and the NFL intends to be at the forefront of it.
