It was fitting that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was touting the future of Netflix and the NFL into a microphone that didn’t work.
Jones, appearing between one of the various boxing matches that preceded the sad exhibition between Jake Paul, 27, and Mike Tyson, 58, clearly expressed his conviction that the ongoing pivot to streaming will pivot entirely to Netflix.
That surely depends on how successful Netflix is in the Christmas Day doubleheader, with the Chiefs at the Steelers followed by the Ravens at the Texans. And Netflix’s live performance Friday night was much closer to the love is blind fiasco than the Tom Brady roast (which was only a fiasco in substance, not in streaming).
It was bad. Very bad. Buffering. Grainy images, reminiscent of the music videos incorporated into the old Sega CD add-on for the Genesis. And sometimes, nothing at all.
Although Amazon Prime had some issues in its first season as a full-time Thursday night streamer, it has since perfected the experience. It’s crunchy. It’s clear. It’s reliable. It’s not a problem that it’s on a streaming platform.
For Netflix and upcoming Christmas games, this could be a major problem. And time is running out. Strong.
The big live sporting event for Netflix was supposed to take place in July, but a Tyson injury delayed the fight until November. Which gives Netflix and the NFL less than six weeks to get their stream (and/or a four-letter word that also starts with “s”) together.
The first question is: will it work? The second question is: If it doesn’t, will that disqualify or delay further deals with Netflix? There is already a Netflix deal for Christmas 2025 and 2026. If, however, Netflix’s pre-Christmas nightmare extends through December 25, the NFL surely has escape routes in its contracts that would allow the league to take the games on Amazon or elsewhere.
Beyond the existing commitment, is there a scenario in which Netflix screws up the Christmas games enough for the NFL to snub them? For the best evidence of this potential outcome, look at where last night’s fight took place. Jerryworld hosted a Super Bowl. It was a two-sided clusterfudge, with an ice storm making travel during game week nearly impossible and a game day situation with more event tickets than, you know, seats available.
Over the past 14 years, AT&T Stadium has never been mentioned as a serious candidate to host another Super Bowl. It’s unclear if and when this will ever happen again.
For Netflix, the situation can be resolved with money. Put more money into technology. More importantly, put more money into the NFL’s pockets.
Hell, on some level maybe the NFL is hoping things go badly for Netflix this Christmas. Once the short-term embarrassment wears off (and there’s always another shiny, shiny object in the form of the next NFL game), the NFL can make it clear to Netflix that there’s only one path to repair the relationship.
