Report: ESPN, Fox hesitant to help Netflix with Christmas NFL slate

Netflix will likely not have help from ESPN and Fox for its Christmas NFL games this upcoming season. According to Ryan Glasspiegel and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, ESPN and Fox are hesitant to lend their on-air talent to Netflix for its Christmas NFL doubleheader.

It’s been reported that ESPN talent won’t appear on the Netflix presentation of the Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys and Minneosta Vikings vs. Detroit Lions games. Talent from Fox is not expected to appear either.

Glasspiegel and McCarthy said that things could change if Netflix agrees to the terms ESPN and Fox have demanded. Last year, ESPN lent Laura Rutledge and Mina Kimes, and Fox lent Greg Olsen.

Netflix could use talent from the NFL Network and CBS Sports things don’t work out with ESPN and Fox. Last year, CBS produced games for Netflix and lent talents including Ian Eagle, JJ Watt, Nate Burleson and Gene Steratore. CBS will produce the Netflix NFL games this year, meaning that a number of its talent will likely be seen in both games.

Why ESPN and Fox don’t want to help Netflix cover its NFL Christmas games

Glasspiegel and McCarthy said that ESPN and Fox wouldn’t want their talents appearing on Netflix because the NFL could opt out of rights agreement with its partners in 2029, and Netflix could be in contention for a bigger package. Rival networks don’t want to help Netflix by having their talent appear on the streaming service.

The NFL will have three games on Christmas Day. Along with the two games on Netflix, Prime Video will stream the Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Cowboys vs. Commanders game will air at 1 p.m. ET, and the Lions vs. Vikings contest will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Netflix began streaming NFL games on Christmas Day last year, with the Chiefs defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 and the Baltimore Ravens taking down the Houston Texans 31-2. The games averaged 26.5 million viewers in the United States and over 30 million viewers globally.

Before fans can watch the NFL Christmas Day games on Netflix, they can learn more about the Dallas Cowboys. This week, Netflix released a trailer for the docuseries, America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, and it will premiere on Aug. 19.