NFL furious over NBC, NBA contract agreement

The National Football League, accustomed to reigning as the undisputed revenue champion of American sports, is privately seething after NBCUniversal agreed to pay the National Basketball Association a record $2.45 billion per year for a forthcoming Sunday-night package, a figure that eclipses the approximately $2 billion the network currently funnels to the NFL for its own prime-time showcase.

While the gap—roughly $450 million annually—may appear modest against the NFL’s $13-billion-plus yearly haul, league offices are said to be “agitated” by the symbolism: the NBA’s media valuation has leapfrogged America’s most-watched sport at the very moment the NFL is negotiating its next round of rights deals. Internal data bolster the league’s frustration; the NFL’s lone Christmas Day broadcast last season averaged 27.5 million viewers, nearly five times the 5.5 million who tuned in to the NBA’s holiday slate.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has overseen unprecedented growth since 2006, has not commented publicly, but people briefed on the matter say the league is already examining the opt-out clause embedded in its nine-year contract with NBC, which runs through 2029. The provision, rarely discussed outside board rooms, could allow the NFL to re-open negotiations or test the market as early as the middle of the deal, a window that now looks increasingly attractive given the NBA’s windfall.

NBC, for its part, is unlikely to let its marquee football property walk away without a fight. Industry analysts expect the network to approach the league with an enhanced offer should the NFL signal it is prepared to bolt. If talks sour, a phalanx of deep-pocketed streaming platforms—many of whom have already signaled a willingness to spend billions for live rights—stand ready to bid.

For now, the NFL’s balance sheet remains robust. Owners are anticipating another historic salary-cap spike in 2026, and franchise valuations continue to set records. Yet in the high-stakes optics battle among America’s premier sports properties, being leapfrogged in rights fees is a slight the league appears unwilling to let stand unanswered.