Much to the displeasure of people around the country, Netflix is continuing its partnership with the NFL.
During an appearance on “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson,” President Donald Trump criticized the NFL for having exclusive deals with Amazon and Netflix. He believes it makes watching games much expensive for American families.
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“There’s something very sad when they take football away from many, many people,” Trump said. “It’s tough. It’s a tough [one]. You’ve got people that love football. They’re great people. They don’t make enough money to go and pay this. It’s tough and they could be killing the golden goose.”
Netflix’s co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, fired back at that claim during an interview with Fox Business Network this Tuesday.
“Remember, most folks are paying for television through pay-television packages that are much more expensive than Netflix,” Sarandos said, via Awful Announcing. “As viewers move a little bit from linear more and more into streaming and on-demand, if the games aren’t there, it seems kind of ridiculous. You don’t run in the opposite direction of the American consumer.”
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 01: NFL Christmas Gameday signage advertising the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games streaming live on Netflix on December 01, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
What’s Netflix’s plan for streaming live sports?
Netflix will get to stream this year’s Week 1 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. The streaming platform is expected to get up to five games this season.
Interestingly enough, Sarandos told Maria Bartiromo that Netflix isn’t interested in season-long packages at the moment. That’ll probably make sports fans quite happy to hear.
“We’re not bidding on whole season of sports, including the NFL,” Sarandos said.
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Only time will tell if Netflix stays true to its word.
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.