Netflix may be getting ready to take the NFL to the Land Down Under. According to The Athletic, the streamer is expected to air the league’s first-ever regular-season game from Australia in Week 1. NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams are scheduled to play at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, September 10, at 8:35 p.m. ET, according the report. NBC is expected to handle production of the game.
The reported Australia matchup would be another big step in Netflix’s growing NFL relationship. The platform has carried the league’s Christmas Day games for the past two seasons, and The Athletic reported that the current deal continues through December 2026.
The game in Aus fits neatly into the NFL’s bigger 2026 international push. For the upcoming season, the NFL’s global slate is expected to include nine international games, with stops that include Melbourne, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Madrid, Munich and London. In other words. Rio de Janerio and Paris join Melbourne as cities making their NFL debut, as the league continues building a full overseas footprint.
The Atheltic’s story on the Week 1 matchup comes weeks after it was reported the NFL was weighing a five-game package for YouTube, Fox and Netflix. It was later reported that YouTube was nearing a deal for those games, but it’s more than likely the NFL splits those games between Netflix and YouTube. Additionally, the streaming giants are also reportedly threats to target NBC’s Sunday Night Football in future rights negotiations.
In the broader NFL media landscape, the latest news is coming at a time where the league is facing more scrutinity. The Justice Department is investigating the NFL’s TV-rights structure over possible anticompetitive practices, At the same time, the NFL has argued that 87% of its inventory still airs on free broadcast TV, even as more premium games move toward streaming.
As the league continues to meet fans where they are, it is increasingly treating streaming as a main stage, not just a side platform. If this report holds, Netflix will not just be showing another NFL game, it will be helping launch the season on a global scale, halfway around the world from the league’s traditional Sunday afternoon comfort zone.
Credit: The Athletic