Netflix has assembled an All-Star roster of NFL media talent for its Christmas GameDay extravaganza, its first foray into live pro sports. Yet the most unique part of Netflix’s hiring spree for this one-off broadcast is that none of the broadcasters actually work for Netflix.
Because the streamer paid $75 million apiece for its two Christmas games this year (with a potential opt-in for future years), it doesn’t have the same kind of broadcasting operation a network with a weekly NFL package might. Netflix is paying CBS Sports for technical production of the games, but rather than simply rent one company’s entire talent roster, the streamer got creative.
CBS No. 2 play-by-play man Ian Eagle will call the nightcap alongside Fox’s recently demoted Greg Olsen, while his son Noah Eagle of NBC will call the early game alongside CBS studio analysts Nate Burleson and J.J. Watt. In the studio, everyone from ESPN’s Mina Kimes to free agents like Drew Brees and Robert Griffin III will bring analysis of the day’s games. NFL Network talent like Jamie Erdahl, Ian Rapoport, and Scott Hanson will fill in around the edges.
It’s a football fan’s dream and a Super Bowl of sorts for any sports media nerd.
But how did it happen?
After all, Netflix represents a potential bogeyman when the next NFL rights package is negotiated over the next several years. As the league forks over more of its premiere games to streamers like Prime Video and Peacock, it feels like a lock that Netflix will be a major player in the next package. So why would the company’s competitors help make its live NFL debut a success?
A few answers come from CNBC sports business reporter Alex Sherman, but none are great.
According to Sherman, Netflix first went to the league for its “blessing” on talent. Then, it approached those broadcasters’ employers to request them. Most notable among the “no”s that Netflix received came from Fox on its top booth of Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady. But given who Netflix assembled, it appears they also got a whole lot of “yes.”
“The media companies that said “yes” aren’t helping Netflix out of charity,” Sherman wrote in his weekly newsletter. “They’re either getting paid by Netflix or there are concessions from the NFL or from the talent (who are getting paid for the game) that add value to the companies, according to people familiar with the matter.”
As usual, money talks. Like CBS offering technical support, Fox and NBC clearly had a number (also notice who didn’t feel that pressure: Amazon). They likely also want to keep strong relationships with talent.
Still, that can’t possibly be enough for these networks to play ball. When they look back at Netflix’s potential rise to a major NFL rightsholder, will those checks feel worth it? Probably not.
So Sherman threw out one more hypothesis: It’s all about keeping the NFL happy.
“They’re still helping – because in the end, the NFL is more powerful than any individual company,” Sherman wrote. “Better to be a team player, even if it means helping a competitor, than a disloyal soldier.”
The league has a vested interest in its Netflix partnership working (just ask Roger Goodell, any time). And so to be good partners to the league that literally keeps many of these networks afloat, they must capitulate.
In this case, capitulating meant allowing top talent to go outside the corporate umbrella and build out perhaps the most stacked NFL broadcast ever — on Netflix.
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