(Reuters) -The National Football League could begin renegotiating its media rights deals as soon as 2026, four years ahead of the current agreement's opt-out clause, CNBC reported on Wednesday.
The league needs agreement from its current media partners, Disney, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Paramount, Amazon and Fox, to start discussions on any new deal, the report said, citing an exclusive interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Comcast declined to comment, while the NFL, Disney, Paramount, Amazon
and Fox did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests.
For broadcasters, the accelerated NFL TV-rights renegotiations mean they will likely face higher costs, combined with greater pressure to justify the investment. But, securing rights also ensures they remain central to one of the few live events that still draws massive audiences and ad dollars.
Sports is one of the few genres consistently driving live, simultaneous viewers on broadcast, which is highly attractive to advertisers seeking scale during marquee events such as the NFL and the NBA.
The NFL had signed long-term media rights agreements in 2021, in a combined deal reportedly valued at more than $100 billion, beginning with the 2023 season and running through 2033.
The NFL could take this opportunity to renew deals or add new partners such as YouTube and Netflix. YouTube had signed a $14 billion NFL streaming deal in 2022, while Netflix broadcast its first live NFL games on Christmas last year.
Netflix and YouTube-owner Google also did not immediately respond to comments on possible interest in a deal.
Among the top 100 broadcasts in the U.S. in 2024, the NFL claimed 70, with the league's media presence receiving a massive boost from Amazon and Netflix.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Shilpi Majumdar)
