The NFL’s latest media-rights manoeuvring appears considerably less settled than first thought, with YouTube now reportedly backing away from a proposed split-package arrangement with Netflix and the league reopening discussions with its traditional broadcast partners instead.

According to Sports Media Watch, citing reporting from Puck’s John Ourand, YouTube ‘baulked’ at the idea of sharing a newly-created package of NFL inventory with Netflix, after earlier reports suggested the two streaming giants were expected to divide four game windows relinquished by ESPN as part of its acquisition of NFL Network.

The situation marks a significant shift from reports earlier in the week that both companies were poised to deepen their NFL involvement. CNBC had previously reported that Netflix and YouTube were expected to split the four former Monday Night Football double-header windows, while additional reporting linked Netflix to both a proposed Thanksgiving Eve game and the league’s international opener in Australia.

Instead, the two games previously earmarked for YouTube are now reportedly being shopped back to the NFL’s linear television partners, reintroducing Fox, CBS and NBC into negotiations at a moment of increasing political and commercial tension between traditional broadcasters and the league over the future direction of NFL distribution. Rupert Murdoch has reportedly lobbied the White House over the NFL’s accelerating pivot toward streaming platforms, while the US Department of Justice is already examining aspects of the league’s media-rights structure and antitrust protections. President Donald Trump also attacked the NFL’s streaming expansion this week, accusing the league of ‘gouging’ fans by increasingly placing marquee games behind subscription paywalls on services such as Netflix, Amazon, Peacock and YouTube.

Yet, despite the backlash, the NFL’s leverage remains enormous. Business Insider recently reported that 83 of America’s 100 most-watched television broadcasts in 2025 were NFL games, reinforcing commissioner Roger Goodell’s long-held belief that football remains the single most valuable property in American media regardless of platform. That reality explains why both broadcasters and streamers continue fighting so aggressively for even small slices of NFL inventory. Netflix is seeking to expand beyond its existing Christmas Day package, Amazon continues to anchor Thursday Night Football, Peacock has secured exclusive marquee games in recent seasons and YouTube remains deeply embedded through Sunday Ticket even if its appetite for a split-rights arrangement appears to have cooled.

For now, at least, the NFL’s latest media package appears unresolved, but the brief collapse of the proposed YouTube-Netflix partnership offered another reminder that the league’s balance between reach, revenue and accessibility is becoming increasingly delicate as football drifts further into the streaming era.