The NFL is preparing to test the boundaries of its media empire, signaling that at least one live game could soon land with a partner well outside its traditional broadcast and cable ecosystem. Instead of limiting itself to long‑time television networks and established streamers, the league is opening the door to non‑traditional buyers that want a piece of the most valuable live content in American sports. For fans, teams and media companies, that shift hints at a future where the most coveted games might be scattered across a wider range of platforms than ever before.
At the same time, league leadership is weighing a broader reset of its existing television contracts, which already rank among the richest in sports. The combination of experimental game sales and potential renegotiations suggests the NFL is trying to lock in more flexibility and higher long‑term value, even as audiences fragment and streaming budgets tighten.
The NFL’s next experiment: a live game outside core media
The NFL has made clear that it plans to sit down with companies beyond its core media partners to discuss selling the rights to at least one live game. According to reporting on the league’s strategy, The NFL is not just looking at the usual broadcast networks and major subscription streamers, but at a wider universe of potential buyers that could include tech platforms or other digital players. The goal is to see whether a single game, carved out from the main packages, can attract new money and new distribution models without disrupting the backbone deals that still deliver the bulk of revenue.
League media executives have framed this as a deliberate exploration of “optionality” rather than a sign of dissatisfaction with existing partners. In comments highlighted from internal discussions, The NFL plans to hold talks with non‑traditional media companies precisely because a one‑off game can be packaged differently, marketed globally and potentially tied to new forms of interactivity. For a league that has already experimented with alternate broadcasts and international time slots, this is the next logical test of how far its live product can travel.
Hans Schroeder’s mandate: maximize options, not just dollars
At the center of this push is NFL Media executive Hans Schroeder, who has been tasked with mapping out what a more flexible rights future might look like. Schroeder has publicly avoided naming specific companies that could bid on a standalone game, but he has been clear that the league wants to understand every possible configuration of rights, distribution and fan experience. In remarks cited in multiple reports, Schroeder did not provide details on which companies might be interested, but he emphasized that the NFL product remains one of the few events that can reliably deliver a huge global audience.
Schroeder has also framed the initiative as a way to give the league more levers to pull when it comes to future negotiations. In one account of his comments, he described how selling a single game to a new entrant could create “more optionality” for the NFL, language echoed in coverage that noted his focus on flexibility rather than a one‑time cash grab. A separate report on the same strategy noted that NFL executives see this as a way to test new partners and formats without committing core Sunday and Monday windows. In other words, the experiment is as much about data and leverage as it is about immediate revenue.
Streamers, budgets and the search for a new model
The NFL’s interest in non‑traditional partners is unfolding at the same time that streamers are reassessing how much they can spend on live sports. Analysts following the league’s talks have pointed out that a single game, or a small cluster of games, gives digital platforms a way to buy into NFL rights without bidding against the massive domestic packages that already sit with established broadcasters. One detailed breakdown of the situation noted that would give streamers another way to secure NFL content without having to match the multibillion‑dollar commitments that can quickly eat up available budgets.
Schroeder has been explicit that the league is not rushing into any one configuration, but instead wants to map the full landscape of potential partners and formats. In comments captured from his public remarks, he said, “We want to understand all our options and how to think about the best model for us, for our fans, for our teams going forward,” adding that some of these changes could arrive as soon as next year. That sentiment, reported in coverage of his appearance, underscores that Feb is not just about squeezing more money from existing partners, but about rethinking how games are sliced, sold and delivered in a streaming‑first era.
Goodell’s push to accelerate media rights talks
The experimental sale of a single game sits against a larger backdrop of potential renegotiations with the NFL’s core television partners. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has already signaled that he wants to reopen talks on the league’s long‑term media deals earlier than originally planned. In an interview cited in recent coverage, NFL Commissioner Roger said he wants to renegotiate TV rights with media partners in early 2026, positioning the league to start discussions on any new deal well before the current contracts expire.
Goodell has also made clear that these talks will involve the league’s biggest broadcast allies, including Disney, Comcast and Paramount, which collectively anchor the NFL’s national footprint. A separate account of his comments noted that he told interviewers the league could open renegotiations with its broadcast partners, including Disney, Comcast, Paramount, as early as this year. That timing matters, because it means any lessons from a one‑off game sold to a new partner could quickly feed into the structure and pricing of the next generation of long‑term deals.
Networks brace for a $110 billion rethink
For incumbent networks, the stakes could hardly be higher. Existing NFL television contracts in the United States are valued at roughly $110 billion, a figure that has become shorthand for the scale of the league’s dominance in the rights market. Industry reporting has highlighted that $110 billion in deals are expected to be renegotiated as early as this year, even as the same Network also broadcasts MLB, Fifa World Cup and Nascar and is juggling its broader sports portfolio.
Executives at those companies are already signaling that they will adjust their strategies to keep the NFL at the center of their schedules. One recent analysis noted that the Network is prepared to “rebalance” its sports holdings in order to retain NFL rights, a reflection of how central pro football remains to advertising revenue and audience reach. At the same time, the league’s willingness to talk with non‑traditional partners for a single game, as reported in detail by Media, sends a clear message that no platform can take its role for granted. The NFL is signaling that it will reward partners that can deliver not just cash, but reach, innovation and a path to younger viewers.
