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After the National Football League announced its inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game, one U.S. senator was not happy.
The Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams will meet in Inglewood, Calif., on Thanksgiving Eve, and the game will be broadcast exclusively on Netflix.
Of course, that requires a paid subscription, which is unacceptable to Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
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Netflix and NFL signs announce the NFL’s two Christmas Day highlight games streaming live on Netflix in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 1, 2024. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
Baldwin introduced a bill last month that would give fans free live broadcasts of their home country’s professional sports teams. Shortly after the NFL’s announcement, she ripped them.
“As the cost of just about everything continues to rise, the NFL is once again asking Wisconsinites to spend their hard-earned money on another streaming service. Enough is enough,” Baldwin said in a statement. “My For the Fans Act would stop this very scenario and prevent Wisconsin families from being forced to pay for Netflix just to watch the Packers play this Thanksgiving.”
Games played on other streaming sites, or even the NFL Network, have been made available to fans on local TV, but Netflix remains an exception.
Late. Tammy Baldwin was re-elected in Wisconsin when the state also voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election. (Tammy Baldwin/Reuters)
NFL ANNOUNCES THANKSGIVING NIGHT GAME BETWEEN PACKERS AND RAMS TO BE STREAMED ON NETFLIX
A few years ago, the NFL realized that Black Friday could be an opportunity for fans to gather around their televisions, and it found another, as hometown bars will be packed the night before the big holiday.
The NFL has dipped his toe in vacationalso becomes the new king of Christmas.
Netflix has the rights to five NFL games in 2026, including the league’s first ever game in Australia. The streaming service will have five regular season games as well as NFL Honors through 2029. It had had two games on Christmas Day since 2024.
While Netflix’s push into live sports has drawn some criticism, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the strategy is not aimed at securing full-season rights packages for any sports league.
“We don’t offer full-season sports, including the NFL,” Sarandos told FOX Business Networks “Morning with Mary” on Tuesday. So far, Sarandos’ comments have stuck with Netflix prioritizing marquee events, including Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and the New York Yankees’ opening day shutout of the San Francisco Giants.
The teams line up at the line of scrimmage during the NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on October 6, 2024. (Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
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However, federal investigation into sports fragmentation has brought the issue of live sports on streaming services to the fore.
