Once upon a time, a satellite dish and credit card were all you needed to watch every NFL game.
Now, you need that same credit card (with a far higher limit), internet access, and subscriptions to at least five different services.
NFL Christmas Day Games To Be Streamed on Netflix
With Wednesday’s news that Netflix has bought the rights to the NFL’s Christmas Day games over the next three seasons, the league found yet other creative ways to separate its customers from their money.
You can’t spell Netflix without “NFL”
Netflix will be the home to watch the NFL’s 2024 Christmas Day games LIVE! https://t.co/uzZVLUhNjt pic.twitter.com/BIy8FUV5NW
— Netflix (@netflix) May 15, 2024
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more,” said Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a news release.
“There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
Added Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of Media Distribution: “We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world. The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans.”
The deal is obviously great for the NFL, which gets a few hundred million dollars more in new revenue. And certainly, there’s no reason to believe Netflix won’t see the same growth that Amazon Prime and Peacock have since partnering with the league.
But this is terrible for the consumers, who now must pay close to $1,000 annually to get every game.
And the more success the NFL enjoys with this strategy, the more the league is going to get away from the free-TV model that was its economic bedrock for decades.
MORE: How Does The NFL Schedule Get Made? Everything You Need to Know
Is a PPV Super Bowl that unthinkable now? Certainly not.
And the league can only get away with it because we keep agreeing to pay.