Sports fans have noticed that watching some of their favorite teams feels more difficult than ever, and there are few sports that frustrate fans as much as college football.
Teams are in new conferences, playing at different times of the day and may have games on four or five different channels or streaming services.
Through all of the change in college football, Notre Dame has remained a constant. The Irish are among a handful of independent college football teams, refusing to join a conference or align with certain television deals that require changes to scheduling.
Notre Dame football has had a partnership with NBC for decades, but one of the world’s largest streaming services attempted to disrupt that agreement for one of the biggest games of the year.
Netflix’s Big College Football Bid
According to Puck’s John Ourand, Netflix bid for the exclusive rights to the Notre Dame-USC football game. The deal would be a serious disruptor for the college football rights landscape, and would likely have an effect on future conference alignment.
NBC has exclusive rights to Notre Dame’s home games, while FOX, NBC and CBS have rights to USC home games after the Trojans joined the Big Ten last year. Netflix’s strategy – to take over a single game instead of an entire rights package – was an ambitious effort, but it sheds light on the streamer’s sports strategy.
Netflix has been able to build its live sports portfolio with events rather than iron-clad season or multi-year deals. Boxing matches like Canelo v. Crawford and Paul v. Tyson are examples of massively successful live events on the platform.
Ourand says the streaming service looked for ways to circumvent the previous agreements both schools were tethered to, such as holding the game in a neutral location like Mexico City or Las Vegas.
Big Ten officials reportedly responded by stating that USC was not allowed to sell rights to individual games, regardless of their location.
What the Move Means For Netflix’s Sports Future
Netflix has employed this strategy with other leagues, such as last year’s NFL broadcasts on Christmas Day. The streamer will be the new home of the MLB’s Home Run Derby, despite not having an agreement to show regular season baseball games.
Netflix is attempting to keep up with the changing live sports landscape, which seems to finally be breaking away from the traditional cable model. ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service launched just before football season, giving fans access to all of its offerings without a cable subscription.
College football rights deals are negotiated years in advance, and can last long into the future.
The Big Ten’s current deals last for five more years, as they’re set to expire after the 2030 season. We’ve already seen an incredible difference in the college football landscape after the last five years, and an even more dramatic change in the five years that came before.
As college football continues to change, we’ll see if Netflix can find a way to get access to one of the most popular sports in America.
