Netflix's chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, has revealed the platform's core strategy for live events and sports programming centers on identifying content with an "unmissable" quality. She stated that if the NFL were to offer international game packages when renegotiating media rights, Netflix would be interested in acquiring them. Bajaria also discussed potential content licensing partnerships with other streaming platforms and the competitive threat posed by YouTube.
The fundamental logic behind Netflix's live sports strategy is selecting games and tournaments that can be elevated into major spectacles, making the definition of a "major event" crucial to the platform's success. "A major event needs buzz, cultural impact, and relevance to the zeitgeist — it's that can't-miss moment," Bajaria said in an exclusive interview last week. "It's both a scheduled appointment for viewers and something that generates significant conversation on social media."
The interview took place in Melbourne, Australia, which recently hosted an NFL international game. Netflix held global broadcast rights for the matchup, where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7. When asked whether NBC's "Sunday Night Football" — which has dominated prime-time ratings for years — qualifies as a "major event" in Netflix's view, Bajaria joked: "If I earned a dollar every time someone asked me that question, I'd have enough to buy Sunday Night Football without touching our $20 billion content budget."
"The first NFL game Netflix aired was on Christmas Day," Bajaria noted. "Christmas is inherently a holiday, Beyoncé performed at halftime, and we could turn it into a major event. It could be the World Baseball Classic held in Japan, the Home Run Derby, or projects like Alex Honnold climbing Taipei 101 and BTS performing in Seoul."
These comments indicate that acquiring a full slate of regular-season NFL games doesn't align with Netflix's strategic approach, consistent with previous public statements from co-CEO Ted Sarandos. The NFL's current media rights agreements include opt-out clauses, potentially allowing the league to renegotiate broadcast deals after the 2029-30 season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week the league would evaluate various partnership opportunities.
During the 2026-27 season, Netflix will broadcast five NFL games: the recently completed Australia international game, the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve matchup, two Christmas contests, and a pivotal Week 18 game that could determine playoff berths or seeding. Bajaria said the NFL currently doesn't sell international game packages separately, but such offerings would be highly attractive to Netflix if made available in the future. The NFL has nine international games this year and plans ten next season.
"We have a massive, highly engaged global audience," Bajaria said. "It's natural for people to ask whether we'd pursue international events. The platform has a large number of American users who love football, so we'll continue monitoring those negotiations." Bajaria also confirmed Netflix's interest in bidding for broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA Men's World Cup tournaments. The platform has already secured U.S. and Canada rights for the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups, with earlier reports indicating Netflix's interest in World Cup rights.
"Football is popular worldwide, and we've already secured the Women's World Cup rights — I'm very excited about that. We've built a strong relationship with FIFA and will certainly continue pursuing those discussions."
As more media companies enter the live sports streaming arena, traditional media giants are exploring new streaming models. YouTube announced it would integrate content from NBCUniversal's Peacock platform into its premium subscription offering, creating an industry-first model. Bajaria said Netflix hasn't ruled out similar collaborations. She views the platform's current partnership with France's TF1 media group as an experiment in embedding other media organizations' live content within Netflix.
"The industry is undergoing transformation. Our local partnership with TF1 is a test case," she said. Bajaria specifically noted that Netflix and NBCUniversal already have multi-dimensional business collaborations that could facilitate discussions about content integration models. Netflix has a live-action film deal with Universal Pictures, and NBC Sports has already produced live sports content for Netflix, including the Australian NFL game. "I'd welcome continued business growth and evolution. In most countries, we already have natural partnership foundations, and those conversations will continue," she added.
Despite these developments, Bajaria isn't planning to fundamentally overhaul Netflix's existing business model. She dismissed suggestions that the platform would shift strategy to directly compete with YouTube and other short-form video services. Nielsen's The Gauge data shows YouTube maintains a significant monthly streaming viewership share — in July, YouTube captured 14.2% of all streaming viewing time, while Netflix ranked second at 7.8%. However, Bajaria indicated Netflix won't change direction: series and films remain the platform's core foundation.
"Simply saying 'young people only watch short-form video' is too broad and careless. If we create genuinely authentic, high-quality content for young people, they will come watch it. That's our business. We'll continue down this path, supporting creators, filmmakers, and investing in TV and film. Great stories always resonate with diverse audiences."
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