With the league’s current deal with ESPN for the NFL Draft set to expire after next month’s event, the negotiations for its next media rights deal are already heating up.
But while we don’t know who will be hosting the NFL Draft in 2026 and beyond, we do know who won’t be, with Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy reporting that Netflix hasn’t — and isn’t expected to — submit a bid for the offseason spectacle.
Still, it’s widely expected that there will be a streaming component to the league’s next NFL Draft rights deal, which is hardly a surprise considering its recent over-the-top strategy. Puck News’ John Ourand previously reported that ESPN, Fox and Google had all submitted bids for the next NFL Draft rights deal. McCarthy added that Amazon’s Prime Video is considered a “long-shot contender” for the event, although it’s unclear whether the Thursday Night Football streamer has submitted a bid.
As has been the case since last summer, ESPN, Fox and Google appear to be the primary contenders for the event, which has aired on ESPN since 1980 and the league-owned NFL Network since 2006. Considering the league has already shown a willingness to put the product on multiple platforms, it will be interesting to see if it takes a similar approach in its next rights deal or if a single outlet becomes the exclusive rightsholder.
To that end, it’s also worth noting that unlike ESPN (ESPN+, the upcoming ‘Flagship’ service) and Google (YouTube TV), Fox doesn’t possess its own streaming service. Could the NFL Draft air linearly on Fox while maintaining a streaming presence via Google? Or would ESPN be willing to split its rights with a competitor, be it on broadcast or streaming?
We’ll find out those answers in the weeks and/or months ahead, as the negotiations for the NFL’s marquee offseason event presumably enter the homestretch. For now, the one certainty appears to be that Netflix won’t be entering the fray, despite the massive success of the streamer’s Christmas Day doubleheader NFL debut.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.