Netflix to air groundbreaking NFL game in Week 1

Netflix has made another big deal with the NFL to air one of the league's most unique games of the 2026 season.

The streaming giant already has an established relationship with the NFL. Netflix streamed two games on Christmas Day over the past two seasons, and that's expected to continue in 2026. That's a day in which the NFL (and Netflix) is competing with the NBA, and this guy called Santa, for viewership, though. 

49ers-Rams Week 1 game to air on Netflix

The Sept. 10 Week 1 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will be a completely different deal, though. It's a Thursday game, so there's less competition for viewership.

This matchup is also unique enough for people to want to tune in. What's unique about this game is the location. It will be played overseas in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

This is the first time the NFL will play a game on this continent, and it will be played in the largest stadium in Australia.

People will be tuning in, though they'll need to have a Netflix account to do so, which is where the profitability lies for the streaming service.

While some fans may be sick of the fact that they have to have an individual subscription to watch a game, the NFL argues that this is just the way consumers work in 2026.

"The league has previously discussed its interest in reflecting fan consumption habits and adapting to streaming platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video," reported Dan Shanoff and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

The NFL is also hellbent on taking its product international.

Nine regular-season games will be played internationally in 2026. Alongside Melbourne, that includes games in Paris, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Munich and three in London.