Overview
- YouTube and the NFL entered a long-form contract review on Thursday for a five-game slate, with outlets stressing that no deal or terms have been finalized.
- The package pulls from four game windows freed by ESPN’s purchase of NFL Network rights plus the Week 1 international opener planned for Australia.
- The league let bidders choose from a menu of special slots that included a new Thanksgiving Eve game, a second Black Friday game, and a Christmas Eve window.
- Netflix and Fox were also in the hunt, and YouTube’s bid builds on its existing NFL ties through Sunday Ticket and a 2025 season-opener stream.
- The Justice Department is examining the NFL’s streaming deals under antitrust law, and the league’s schedule release next month is expected to clarify which games get assigned.