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Afternoon Edition

February 6, 2025

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The NFL has placed big games on Netflix, Amazon, Prime, ESPN+, and Peacock in addition to its linear TV partners. But the league’s top media exec pushed back on any concerns that its rights are too fragmented.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Alex Schiffer [[link removed]], and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

NFL Exec: We’re Reaching More Fans Without Spreading Too Thin [[link removed]]

Front Office Sports

NFL game broadcasts were on a record number of media platforms this season, but the league’s top media executive pushed back on the notion that America’s top sport is spreading itself too thin.

“This idea that like, it’s super fragmented, we’re moving things around, when you step back, that’s not really the case,” NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp said during an interview with Front Office Sports in New Orleans [[link removed]] ahead of Super Bowl LIX. “And we’re finding with the viewership numbers, people are finding the game.”

In 2024, there were exclusive NFL game broadcasts on linear channels ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and NFL Network, as well as streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, Peacock, and Netflix. That’s 10 different channels or services that aired NFL games. Additionally, YouTube TV carried the out-of-market NFL Sunday Ticket package.

What Do the Numbers Say?

TV ratings were down 2% [[link removed]] in the regular season compared to 2023. “A lot of people obsess about the minutiae, week-to-week, year-to-year fluctuations,” Rolapp said. “We don’t.” Amazon had its highest NFL viewership yet [[link removed]], and Netflix set league streaming records [[link removed]] on Christmas Day.

The NFL had 70 of the 100 most-watched events in the U.S. [[link removed]] during 2024, so it’s no surprise that media-rights fees are the league’s largest revenue stream—something that can be increased at the end of this decade by opting out of the $110 billion broadcast deals that are set to run until 2033. On Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called those opt-outs “incredibly valuable [[link removed]].”

“There’s been a lot of talk about the opt-outs,” Rolapp said. “We can opt out of some of them, none of them, all of them. We haven’t made any decisions. But the reason they exist is that if anyone can tell you what the future is gonna look like, certainly in 2030, they’re lying to you. Nobody knows. We’re in a time of unprecedented change. So, when you don’t know what the future looks like, you put a premium on flexibility, and that’s why they exist.”

Beyond U.S. Borders

As the NFL continues to expand its presence outside the U.S., including a regular-season game in Australia in 2026 [[link removed]], signs are pointing toward the league creating and selling a TV package of international games, likely worth billions of dollars [[link removed]].

Goodell said he could “absolutely” see the NFL doing that, and Rolapp shed a little more light on the thinking.

“Yeah, I think that’s possible,” he said. “We’re looking at all iterations of this. When you think about international, you need to think about the platforms you’re on. So, you take those Netflix games we did on Christmas Day—those were the first game packages that we sold to one media partner for global distribution. That is not something before streaming that was really available.”

This season, Peacock aired the league’s debut in Brazil [[link removed]] on a Friday night, while NFL Network carried games from London and Munich on Sunday mornings. Rolapp also admitted that 9:30 a.m. ET game windows that have been used for London and Germany contests “kind of work better internationally” for viewership purposes.

The league has announced five international games for the 2025 season (three in London and one each in Berlin and Madrid). Games in Brazil and Ireland are still expected, but signs are pointing toward a previously anticipated eighth game in Mexico City not happening [[link removed]].

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With Luka Trade, Lakers Locked In As NBA Ratings Power

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Luka Dončić has yet to play a minute for the Lakers, but the team has already started building around him.

In an early Thursday move, the team acquired Mark Williams, a 23-year-old center from the Hornets for rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap.

The 2031 draft pick was Los Angeles’s only remaining first-round pick that had yet to be dealt, thus emptying the Lakers of any other moves to make that don’t involve their current roster. Williams is in his third year in the NBA and has improved his scoring, rebounding, and shooting numbers all three years as a pro, giving Dončić a guard/center pair the team can build around.

But the team’s week in transactions seemed to solidify themselves as the NBA’s TV ratings linchpin in the coming media-rights deal [[link removed]] over the next decade.

“It’s a gift,” Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said at Dončić’s introductory press conference when asked about having up to a decade of runway with him. “We’re talking about a 25-year-old player who is a top-three player in the universe.”

The Lakers acquired Dončić [[link removed]] from the Mavericks [[link removed]] over the weekend in a stunner that saw the team trade away star power forward Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Dončić’s contract expires after next season, but all indications are he will sign an extension with the Lakers [[link removed]] sometime this summer, before signing a longer one down the road. The most Dončić could be extended is four years and $229 million. But he could sign a two-year extension with a player-option in the third year that would bring him to 10 years of NBA service time; that would make him eligible to sign a supermax contract before turning 30.

Assuming he signs an extension, Dončić gives the NBA a long-term star player through his prime in one of its two biggest markets through most, if not all, of the lifespan of the new media-rights deal, which runs for 11 years, is worth $77 billion [[link removed]], and starts next season, providing a ratings boost while ensuring one of the league’s most valuable franchises is relevant after James retires. Should Dončić remain a Laker through the span of the media-rights deal, he’ll be 36 when it ends, or the current age of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, who have both played well into their twilight.

The NBA’s ratings have been a source of concern throughout the season. Commissioner Adam Silver admitted in December they were slightly down year-over-year [[link removed]], with the high number of three-point shots among the main criticisms. Silver recently proposed shortening the game’s four quarters from 12 minutes to 10 [[link removed]], as a possible fix, but expressed doubt it would happen.

“I think Luka Dončić joining forces with the Los Angeles Lakers is a seismic event in NBA history,” Pelinka said at Dončić’s press conference. “We have a 25-year-old global superstar that is going to get on the stage of the most popular and influential basketball brand on the globe.”

Those in the NBA’s New York offices would likely agree with him.

For more on how the Lakers’ Dončić acquisition could affect the business of the NBA, you can read Alex Schiffer’s full story here [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR Prime: I’ll Pass, Thanks

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

“I couldn’t coach pro ball.”

—Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, during a conversation with former Cowboys teammate and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman on this week’s episode of Sanders’s Tubi show We Got Time Today! [[link removed]] He indicated he wouldn’t want to deal with NFL players’ lack of work ethic, compared to when he played in the league (from 1989 to 2005 with the Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Washington, and Ravens).

“The way they practice, the way they go about it, I couldn’t take it,” Sanders said. “As a man, and as a football enthusiast—and I care about the game, the game is still providing for Troy and I—so there’s no way I could allow that to happen on my watch. That would be tough.”

Sanders spoke with Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones [[link removed]] about the team’s coaching vacancy before the franchise ultimately promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer [[link removed]].

Still, Aikman thinks Sanders would be a good coach, especially for the Cowboys, if he ever changed his mind. “It would make a lot of sense,” Aikman said.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Swifties ⬆ Sportsbooks are offering all kinds of prop bets around Super Bowl LIX related to Taylor Swift, like how many times the singer will be shown during Fox’s game broadcast and whether Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will propose after the game.

Ryan Day ⬆ Ohio State is giving its national-championship-winning head coach a contract extension through 2031 [[link removed]] that will pay him $12.5 million annually—a raise of roughly $2.2 million per year. That would put him second in annual salary behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart [[link removed]].

LPGA ⬆ Several players, including No. 1–ranked Nelly Korda, have praised the tour for its new policy aimed at preventing slow play [[link removed]]. “I’m very excited about it,” Korda said of the rules that will come into effect next month.

Brian Kelly ⬇ The LSU head coach is facing criticism [[link removed]] as the parents of two top 2025 football recruits—Devin Sanchez and Riley Pettijohn (both of whom committed to Ohio State)—spoke out over a lawsuit from former player Greg Brooks Jr. filed in 2024. Brooks, who had emergency brain surgery in 2023, claimed LSU’s staff failed to diagnose his condition properly during an interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America [[link removed]]. His father publicly called out Kelly, asking why he wasn’t there for his son. Kelly pushed back Wednesday [[link removed]], saying the claims about him not reaching out were inaccurate. “We love Greg,” the Tigers coach said. Kelly’s jump from Notre Dame to LSU [[link removed]] in 2021 on a $95 million deal didn’t sit well with everyone, and now, with this most recent controversy, the pressure on him isn’t letting up.

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Live From Radio Row Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer crashed the set of former NFL player Shawne Merriman’s FOS interview in dramatic fashion. Take a look [[link removed]]. Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios dishes on how his girlfriend, TikTok star Alix Earle, helps him with his social media. Watch here [[link removed]]. Longtime Fox Sports announcer Chris Myers breaks down what it’s like to work a Super Bowl from the sidelines [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Seidler Approved As Padres Owner; Manfred on Dodgers Spending [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Manfred also defends the Tampa market and the Dodgers’ offseason conduct. Fox Sports Seeks Dismissal of Harassment Lawsuit [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The network is challenging a complaint filed by a former employee. Rich Kleiman Says Kevin Durant Would ‘Potentially’ Play in New International League [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Kleiman said a more relaxed schedule would benefit older players. The Latest in Women’s Sports Construction Arms Race: A $75 Million Joint WNBA-NWSL Facility [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Portland facility is believed to be the first of its kind. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Alex Schiffer [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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