Netflix, Amazon in Line to Steal ‘Sunday Night Football' From NBC: Report

For two decades, NBC's "Sunday Night Football" has been the NFL's crown jewel, a weekly primetime event that blends elite matchups, cinematic production, and mass reach.

Since reclaiming the package in 2006, NBC turned SNF into the most-watched show on American television, a consistent ratings juggernaut that anchors the league's dominance on Sundays.

But that grip is suddenly under real pressure.

A new wave of reporting suggests the NFL is exploring early renegotiations of its media rights deals, well before their 2033 expiration, and that streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix are circling the league's most valuable property.

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The NFL is steadily laying the groundwork for a streaming-first future for years.

Amazon already holds exclusive rights to "Thursday Night Football," a deal that runs through 2033 and marked the first time a full NFL package went primarily digital.

Meanwhile, Netflix has begun carving out its own lane with exclusive Christmas Day games, and YouTube now owns the out-of-market "Sunday Ticket" package.

The league is diversifying aggressively, and the numbers back it up: Amazon's exclusive playoff game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round this year reportedly drew 31.6 million viewers, setting a streaming record.

At the same time, the NFL is actively slicing its media inventory into smaller, flexible packages, allowing companies like Netflix to bid on targeted slates of games rather than full-season commitments.

That divide is exactly what puts NBC at risk.

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On paper, NBC's deal runs deep into the next decade. The network still holds rights to SNF, playoff games, and even future Super Bowls.

But buried within those agreements are opt-outs and renegotiation windows, and the NFL appears ready to use them.

The appeal of streaming is obvious. Platforms like Amazon and Netflix bring deeper pockets, capable of absorbing massive rights fees, and global distribution that could instantly expand the NFL's international reach.

Still, it's not a clean play.

The league is currently under federal scrutiny over whether its growing reliance on paid streaming services limits fan access and drives up costs.

That pressure could complicate any move to take the NFL's most accessible, widely watched package and place it behind a paywall.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 10:49 AM.