NFL games streaming on Netflix? Don’t count on it
Netflix is enough of a proven commodity these days that many have wondered when it may take the leap and broadcast live sporting events. Meanwhile, the NFL will stream a game digitally for the first time when the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars meet in London on Oct. 25, but could a marriage between the NFL and Netflix ever materialize?
Don’t count on it any time soon.
Via recode.net, Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, explained to analyst Michael Nathanson at a conference Wednesday why live events and Netflix don’t exactly mesh at this point.
Sarandos: “I will never say never, but I would say that where we sit today, I don’t think the on-demand to sports is enough of an addition to the value proposition to chase. I think the leagues have tremendous leverage in those deals, so it’s not like we’re going to get in and de-leverage the leagues. We’re going to go in and overpay like everyone else does, so it doesn’t get me that excited. Not to say that it wouldn’t someday, down the road, make sense. Today, I think there’s lots of growth in what we’re doing.”
Nathanson: “And there’s nothing available (from the NFL) to 2022.”
Sarandos: “Yep.”
It’s intriguing to note that Sarandos didn’t rule the possibility out altogether, but any potential arrangement would likely be years down the road.
A lot can happen, both technology-wise and NFL-wise, between now and 2022, but for now you’ll have to stick to regular ol’ TV to get your NFL fix.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
