Finishing last in your division typically doesn’t earn you a premium spot on the national TV schedule. The Detroit Lions are an exception. Coming off a 9-8 season that ended with them watching the playoffs from home for the first time since 2022,

While the NFL is preparing for another massive season across both television and streaming platforms, not everyone is thrilled. Fans are concerned about the exclusive streaming broadcasts after more marquee matchups were moved away from traditional cable TV.

How it got to this point, and where it possibly goes from here.

For the first time since reporting came out about Fox’s role in the recent federal attention on the NFL’s antitrust exemption, the NFL has addressed the maneuvering of its longtime Sunday afternoon broadcast partner.

ESPN and ABC will air the Super Bowl this season at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027. CBS will carry the AFC Championship Game while Fox will broadcast the NFC Championship Game. Prime Video will stream one wild-card game, while the networks will split the remainder of the playoff slate.

The NFL will play only nine Sunday afternoon games Thanksgiving week, and only eight Christmas week.

The NFL may have less leverage than expected over TV partners as streaming giants show limited interest in pursuing full weekly game packages.

The NFL schedule traditionally gets plenty of attention. Government officials usually check it to see when the Washington Commanders or their favorite team are playing.

The NFL will air its first Thanksgiving Eve game in 2026, joining games on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week.

The NFL plans to continue offering a diversified broadcast package despite political and public criticism of the league expanding streaming opportunities with Netflix and Amazon. "We love our model," NFL president of media distribution Hans Schroeder said Friday,