Netflix is in active discussions to expand the scope of its NFL broadcast rights, with the streaming company seeking to grow its current two-game schedule to four games, according to people familiar with the negotiations. The additional rights Netflix is pursuing include the league's new Thanksgiving Eve fixture and an international contest that is likely to take place during the season's opening week.
Currently, Netflix is in the final year of a three-year arrangement for Christmas Day games. Under that package the company paid about $75 million for each game.
The NFL took back control of four games as part of last year's transaction that saw the league sell the NFL Network to ESPN and acquire an ownership stake in that sports service. Separate from those four, a fifth game - the season's first international contest - has been available for purchase after being treated as a stand-alone property over the past two seasons.
League officials have described a flexible approach to disposing of the available inventory, indicating they are prepared to accept offers for individual games or combinations of the games. That openness means the five available matchups could be parceled out to more than one rights holder rather than being sold as a single bundle.
Any expansion of Netflix's NFL presence would build on its existing holiday arrangement while tapping into the league's strategy of distributing marquee single-game properties across multiple platforms. Details of any finalized transactions, including confirmed game assignments or financial terms for newly acquired games, have not been disclosed.
Contextual note: The available game inventory includes four games reclaimed by the league plus a fifth international opener that has been separately sold in recent seasons.