YouTube ‘in talks’ to stream four more live NFL games

• ESPN and NFL have split up NFL Network’s seven games
• YouTube aired NFL Brazil game earlier this season
• Netflix could move but is pushing ahead with Pacquiao v Mayweather rematch

YouTube is reportedly in pole position to acquire four live National Football League (NFL) matches retained by the league as part of the sale of its media division to ESPN.

The games were previously shown by the in-house NFL Network, which aired seven matchups a season, three of which were handed over to ESPN as part of the US$3 billion transaction.

Sports Business Journal (SBJ) says the Google-owned video platform has opened negotiations about the package but there are other potential suitors for the games, which were previously aired by NFL Network.

It is unclear when the four games would be scheduled but it is speculated that the NFL could create new timeslots to maximise broadcaster and viewer appeal. The league has enjoyed considerable success in carving out windows for new packages that increase incremental revenues without alienating existing media partners or cannibalising available audience.

Examples include the Season Kickoff, Black Friday, and Christmas Day. Meanwhile, Amazon has transformed Thursday Night Football from an afterthought into a major television event.

SBJ adds that the contract could be short-term. The NFL is widely expected to exercise a clause that allows it to opt-out of its US$110 billion 11-year broadcast deals with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC after the 2029 season in a bid to extract more revenue and is keen to start negotiations even sooner. It is also thought to be keen on creating a full-season package of international series matchups as part of the revamp, allowing it to create a new regular early-morning slot on Sundays.

YouTube aired its first ever live NFL game earlier this season after acquiring the global rights to the week one clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The stream was free to watch and attracted a global audience of 17.3 million, including 16.2 million people in the US.

Its YouTube TV multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) service also airs the out-of-market Sunday Ticket service in the US.

Netflix, which airs at least one NFL game on Christmas Day as part of a three-year deal, has been linked with acquiring even more rights as part of a wider shakeup.

However, until then, it is continuing with its strategy of airing one-off major events with crossover appeal. The latest in this series is a rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, more than a decade after their first meeting. The event is scheduled for 19^th September at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

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