Latest news with #BelaBejaria
NBC Sports
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Is Netflix's interest in Sunday afternoon NFL real or hypothetical?
As I told John Ourand of Puck earlier today, I love his twice-weekly newsletter because I never know when a big story is going to smack me in the face while perusing it. In Monday night's edition of The Varsity, I saw the comments from Netflix chief content officer Bela Bejaria to Matthew Belloni of Puck regarding the streamer's interest in acquiring a Sunday afternoon package. In the aftermath of the widespread dissemination of the Netflix interest in one of the two daytime Sunday packages, there have been questions whether the comments represent a clear and obvious statement of interest. Some have called it a 'hypothetical.' So we listened to the raw audio of Netflix chief content officer Bela Bejaria's recent appearance with Matthew Belloni on The Town podcast. Here's the exchange, from the 'lightning round' segment near the end of the interview. 'In five years, will Netflix air a weekly NFL game? And because the answer is obviously 'yes,' which NFL package will you steal from a rival?' Belloni asked. 'I say the answer is no, because the rights are already tied up,' Bajaria replied. 'No, but there's an opt-out in less than five years.' 'If the answer is yes, then I definitely want the Sunday night game — the Sunday games,' Bajaria said. 'You mean the Sunday afternoon or the Sunday Night Football game?' 'Afternoon,' Bajaria said. It's not a hypothetical to say the NFL can pull the plug on all of the current broadcast deals after the 2029 season. It's real. And the interest from Netflix isn't hypothetical. It's real. What's also real is the likely blowback Netflix received from the current networks that own the Sunday afternoon rights, Fox and CBS. In the 16 years we've been affiliated with NBC, we've learned a little something about the third rails that will ruffle the feathers of rival networks. A public statement that Netflix is coming for territory currently held by Fox or CBS falls squarely into the category of Things That Will Probably Piss Off A Rival Network. Netflix has issued no statements in the aftermath of the situation to clarify, retract, or rescind the remarks. If/when Netflix does, we'll have another update. And this was supposed to be a slow week.
Fox News
18-02-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Netflix will bid for NFL Sunday afternoon games, exec says
Netflix wants to have NFL games back on its streaming platform, and we're not just talking about Christmas Day. In an interview with Puck News, Bela Bejaria, Netflix's chief content officer, said the streaming platform will bid for Sunday afternoon games. One of the main reasons Netflix may want to bid for NFL games revolves around the league's desire to continue growing international markets. Of course, having a global streamer to do so would make sense for the NFL — if that is the plan. Netflix held two Christmas Day games — Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers — and they were both the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history. Both games averaged around 24 million viewers, according to Nielsen. With over 218 countries having the ability to watch the games, more than 65 million viewers were seen on the platform. Currently, the NFL's Sunday afternoon games belong to Fox and CBS, with Fox owning the NFC package since 1994, and CBS getting the AFC package from NBC in 1998. Their deals run through 2033, per ProFootballTalk. However, the NFL does own the right to pull out of the deal four years early, and there's been indication of that being the plan. So, while it appears unlikely to happen for the 2025 season, a streaming platform like Netflix could be jumping into the fold to get more NFL exposure on its platform. As a result, one of the major broadcast partners for the NFL will likely be out, which will be interesting to see, to say the least. The NFL has been broadcast on various channels and streamers in recent seasons, with Prime Video owning the rights to "Thursday Night Football," ABC/ESPN programming "Monday Night Football," and Peacock being an exclusive home for playoff games as well. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
