Negotiations between the National Football League and Paramount Global over a revised media-rights agreement could see the broadcaster dramatically increase its payments for Sunday afternoon games carried on CBS, according to a report by CNBC.

CBS currently pays around $2.1bn per season for its package of Sunday afternoon NFL games under the league’s existing media agreements, which began in 2023. However, discussions between the two sides are reportedly centred on a price increase of around 50–60 percent, potentially pushing the network’s annual rights fee to more than $3bn per year.

Under the proposed arrangement, the NFL would reportedly remove the ‘opt-out’ clause after the 2029-30 season that exists in the current deal. Eliminating that would effectively secure CBS’s rights to the Sunday afternoon package through the remainder of the league’s media agreements, which run until the 2033-34 season.

If an agreement is reached, the higher rights fee could begin as early as next season, while CBS would continue to carry the same slate of games it currently broadcasts each Sunday afternoon.

The talks come as the NFL examines its long-term media strategy amid a rapidly evolving broadcast landscape that includes both traditional networks and streaming platforms such as Amazon and Netflix. The league’s current media deals, signed in 2021 and valued at more than $100bn overall, run into the next decade but include provisions that allow renegotiation under certain circumstances.

Negotiations with Paramount are also being shaped by corporate changes at the broadcaster, including the planned merger involving Skydance Media, which gives the NFL the ability to reconsider its agreement if ownership changes significantly.

Should the new terms be finalised, the revised CBS deal could set the benchmark for future negotiations with the league’s other broadcast partners, potentially pushing the NFL’s already record-breaking media revenue even higher.