“Sunday Night Football” is one of the hallmarks of football programing during the regular season, and it lives on NBC, but that may not last forever. A new report is emerging that hints at the program moving from network television where it currently is, on NBC, to a streaming giant.
Michael Nathanson with John Ourand are reporting that NBC may be in jeopardy of losing its primetime Sunday night slot. Netflix wants more events, they say, and could come in and make a deal to have rights to the program.
In the Puck News newsletter, these two lay out the idea that NBC could lose its “Sunday Night Football” programing due to the high prices of NFL broadcast rights. Nathanson says he believes that Netflix will offer pretty much anything for “Sunday Night Football,” since it would bring a ton of ad revenue and give the streaming service the chance to bag on a weekly NFL game. It would also help compete with Amazon Prime, who has rights to “Thursday Night Football.”
NFL Commentator Discusses Why ‘Sunday Night Football’ Could Be Stolen From NBC
“Look at what NBC is paying for the NBA,” Nathanson stated. “Now, imagine what the NFL wants for ‘Sunday Night Football,’ which is the best game. What’s stopping Netflix, which wants more events, to get Sunday night’s best game for 18 straight weeks?”
He added, “That would accelerate its ability to monetize ads. So, to me, the NBC Sunday night game is probably the most at risk.”
So, Netflix could sweep in and take our beloved “Sunday Night Football.” If not, Amazon could also be interested, since they’ve had such success with “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime. Either way, fans will likely not be happy about the program going away from network TV.
‘Sunday Night Football’ Was a Hit in the 2025-26 NFL Season, According to the Numbers and Research, Drawing an Average of 23.5 Million Viewers
For the 2025-26 season, NBC reported that “Sunday Night Football” had a record average of 23.5 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, including record eight “SNF” games averaging more than 25 million viewers. On Peacock, the event had a record streaming Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 2.5 million viewers.
“Our milestone 20th season of ‘Sunday Night Football’ once again delivered a best-in-class presentation with record-setting viewership, thanks to our outstanding technical, engineering and production teams and our exceptional on-air team of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark, and Terry McAulay,” Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports, said in a statement in January.
He added, “We look forward to continuing our tremendous momentum as SNF on our NBC stations is pacing to rank #1 in primetime for an unprecedented 15th consecutive year, and Peacock drives our record-setting streaming, delivering for all partners.”
The 20th season of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” closed out with the largest viewing day in U.S. media: the Super Bowl LX on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. After the Super Bowl this year, NBC also pivoted to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. So, it was a successful season for NBC, but that may be in jeapordy.
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