Netflix A live sports strategy is all about finding games and tournaments that you think can be turned into events. That’s why defining an “event” is paramount to your company’s success.
“The hallmark of the event is that it’s vibrant, it’s cultural, it’s zeitgeist. It’s truly a can’t-miss moment,” Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in an exclusive interview with CNBC Sports last week. “There’s something that feels very much like appointment TV, but there’s also some great dialogue around it.”
Bajaria spoke from Melbourne, Australia, where the country will host its first regular-season NFL game. Netflix owns the worldwide rights to the game, which resulted in the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Los Angeles Rams 27-7.
CNBC asked Bajaria whether NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” the most popular prime-time show for 15 consecutive years, would be classified as an “event” on Netflix.
“If I had a dollar for every time someone said that, that money would just go to the cost of ‘Sunday Night Football,’ and I wouldn’t even have to take it out of my $20 billion content budget,” Bajaria joked.
“The first NFL game[on Netflix]was Christmas Day, right?” Bajaria said. “So we can turn it into some kind of event, where Christmas is a holiday and Beyoncé is going to do halftime. And it could be the World Baseball Classic in Japan. It could be the Home Run Derby, but it could also be Taipei 101 when Alex Honnold climbed the building. It could be the BTS concert in Seoul.”
Bajaria’s explanation suggests that a large package of NFL games is not a good fit for Netflix’s strategy, echoing comments from Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos earlier this year. The NFL could renegotiate media rights for games starting after the 2029-30 season, where the league has an opt-out clause in its current contract. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC last week that he would consider reviewing the league’s established game packages.
Netflix will broadcast five NFL games during the 2026-27 season: last week’s game against Australia, the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, two Christmas Day games, and the Week 18 game that is sure to be a key game in determining playoff berths and seeding.
The NFL doesn’t currently sell packages for international games, but Bajaria said if they existed, they could be attractive to Netflix. There are nine international matches this year and 10 are scheduled for next season.
“We obviously have such a large global audience and a very engaged global audience,” Bajaria said. “I think people are probably going to naturally think, ‘Why don’t we do some international games?’ We obviously have a lot of American members who love the NFL and love football, so we’ll continue to have those conversations.”
Bajaria also acknowledged Netflix’s potential interest in bidding for the 2030 and 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cups. Netflix already owns the U.S. and Canadian rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups. CNBC first reported Netflix’s interest earlier this year.
“Obviously, it’s a sport that’s loved all over the world and we’ve got a Women’s World Cup, so we’re really looking forward to it. We have a great partnership and relationship with FIFA, so we’re always going to have those conversations,” Bajaria said.
Incorporating other streamers
At the same time that more media companies are focusing on live sports, traditional players are also developing new strategies for streaming.
YouTube announced in July that it would bring content from NBCUniversal’s Peacock to its premium subscription platform, a new model for the industry.
Bajaria suggested Netflix might be open to a similar deal. He described the existing partnership with France’s TF1 Group as a “test” to incorporate live content from other media companies into the service.
“Business is changing,” Bajaria said. “The conversation was that we could partner with TF1 locally, so let’s test that out.”
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, speaks on stage at the “The Big Mysteries” premiere and party in New York on April 6, 2026.
Jenny Anderson | Getty Images
Bajaria specifically noted that NBCUniversal is a company that has already partnered with Netflix in various ways, and said that could help both companies get used to the idea of trying something like Ingest.
Netflix already has an exclusive feature film licensing agreement with Universal. NBC Sports also produces live sports on Netflix, including last week’s Australian NFL game.
“What I love is being able to continue to grow and evolve the business,” Bajaria said. “A natural partnership already exists between most of these countries, which will ensure that dialogue continues.”
Competition with YouTube
Still, Bajaria has no interest in completely rewriting the rulebook.
He dismissed the idea that Netflix would change its business strategy to compete with YouTube and other short-form video services.
According to Nielsen data, YouTube’s streaming market share has been consistently increasing every month. Video platforms accounted for 14.2% of all streaming viewers in July. Netflix came in second with 7.8%.
But Bajaria said he has no plans to change Netflix’s direction, saying TV series and movies will continue to be the platform’s bread and butter.
“To say, ‘Young people only watch short stuff,’ is too gestural or dismissive,” Bajaria said. “If we create something for young people that feels really authentic and great, they’ll come. And that’s the business. We’re still in it. We support creators and filmmakers and vision. We invest in film and television. Truly great stories connect with people all day long.”
Correction: This article has been updated to correct a transcription error in a quote attributed to Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer. She said, “The event is characterized by being vibrant, cultural and zeitgeist.”
