The business of football
Roger Goodell says the NFL is considering changes to its media packages as fans move to new platforms, but the commissioner is leaving a decision on the league’s opt-out clauses for another day.
Speaking with CNBC’s Alex Sherman in Melbourne ahead of the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, Goodell was asked whether the league intended to exercise its media-rights opt-out after the 2029 season. Most of the NFL’s major media agreements have an opt-out at that point; Disney’s comes a year later.
“We don’t have to make that decision today. That’s the reason you have an option, right?” he said.
Goodell said that flexibility allows the NFL to assess changes in the media industry and consider “how we make sure we present our game in the best possible way, and do it with the proper value.”
Sherman then asked whether Goodell would prefer to retain the league’s current media partners in its next negotiation.
“The world is changing. The world is changing for our partners. It’s changing for us. It’s changing for fans. Our fans are moving to other platforms.”
Roger Goodell · NFL commissioner
Netflix, YouTube and Amazon
Goodell pointed to the NFL’s agreements with Netflix, YouTube and Amazon as examples of its response to changing viewing habits.
“We’ve obviously evaluated that in the context of many of our media deals, even since we struck these deals back in ’21,” he said.
He said the Netflix and YouTube agreements had allowed the NFL to reach fans on those platforms and use their technology.
“Amazon with Thursday Night Football was a great move for us,” Goodell said.
Netflix’s 2026 lineup includes five regular-season games, including the Rams–49ers matchup in Melbourne, a Thanksgiving Eve game and two Christmas Day games. The company says its NFL games are available in more than 200 countries.
International games and new packages
Asked whether the NFL could sell its international games as a separate package, Goodell said it was an option for either the U.S. market or global distribution.
He said the league was discussing its packages with current and potential partners.
“Should we repackage our current packages? Should we think differently about where we go with those things?” Goodell said.
Goodell did not announce any changes to the existing packages.
On the timing of negotiations, Goodell said the NFL could reach deals before or after the opt-out dates, depending on what it considered to be in the league’s interests.
Goodell also stressed the importance of keeping games widely available. Netflix says its NFL games also air on local, over-the-air television in the participating teams’ markets. That local coverage does not make the games available free nationwide.
“But we continue to be available on the broadest platforms for our fans, and that’s the core of our policy,” Goodell said.
