NFL moves to broadcast as Netflix acquires Australian game amid FCC probe, DOJ
DOJ is investigating NFL over streaming deals as antitrust exemption draws scrutiny
The Justice Department is investigating exclusive NFL broadcasts amid fan frustration over fragmented and paid access. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is questioning whether the league should keep its special antitrust exemption, first established by the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley suggests that Congress examine the structure of the NFL, highlighting their annual revenue of $25 billion and the rising costs of fans.
Recent backlash against the NFL’s merger of broadcast carriers has included federal oversight of the issue, but that’s not stopping the league from doing more — at least not if a new deal with Netflix to stream the first game ever played in Australia is anything to go by.
The NFL and Netflix have an agreement in place to broadcast the San Francisco 49ers against the Los Angeles Rams on September 10, according to The Athletic. A league source told OutKick that a deal has not been finalized, but those were the talks going forward.
The first game of the 2026 NFL season will be televised by NBC on Wednesday, September 9 between the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and an as-yet-unannounced opponent. The NFL is expected to release its full schedule later this month.
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The Los Angeles Rams will face the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Oct. 2, 2025. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The 49ers and Rams meet in the battle of the NFC West’s top contenders will be played the following evening, with kick-off at 8:35 pm ET from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the largest stadium in mainland Australia.
RAMS, 49ERS TO MEET IN AUSTRALIA IN HISTORY NFL GAME AS LEAGUE REVEALS DATE AND TIME
The show has been added to Netflix’s Christmas Day lineup of shows to stream in December, part of a previous deal that had the streaming company also airing Christmas shows in 2024 and 2025.
But it’s not just the NFL and streaming services.
It’s possible that Netflix or another streaming giant could acquire the pre-Thanksgiving game, which the NFL wants to add as a property for the first time in 2026. Discussions are ongoing on that.
And the NFL is seriously considering moving games to YouTube that were previously part of ESPN’s Monday Night doubleheaders. The NFL acquired those two doubleheader games as part of the deal in which ESPN acquired the NFL Network in exchange for 10 percent of the NFL’s equity in ESPN.
Josh Allen is shown on the field wearing a Buffalo Bills uniform. NFL fans need YouTube TV’s “NFL Sunday Ticket” and subscribers to Amazon Prime, Peacock and Netflix to access all games. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
All of the league’s flirtations and dealings with streaming services are being scrutinized by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to determine whether the league is violating its antitrust exemption.
NFL executives recently visited the FCC to meet with Chairman Brendan Carr’s top advisers to discuss the NFL’s media distribution of its live games and how it benefits fans and local broadcasters.
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Carr expressed concern that fans are being forced to turn to expensive subscriptions to follow football.
Netflix has partnered with CBS Sports to produce NFL games to be broadcast on Christmas Day. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)
Fox News and OutKick previously reported that the NFL would again vigorously defend its antitrust exemption amid the Justice Department’s investigation.
Despite the scrutiny, the NFL is convinced that offering 88 percent of its “free” games to air is enough to convince federal agencies that its antitrust exemption should remain.
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