Sen. Tammy Baldwin criticized the NFL for putting Packers-Rams on Netflix, saying Wisconsin fans should not need another subscription for a holiday game.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin is criticizing the NFL’s decision to put the Green Bay Packers’ Thanksgiving Eve game against the Los Angeles Rams exclusively on Netflix, saying Wisconsin families should not have to buy another streaming subscription to watch their home-state team.
The Packers and Rams are scheduled to meet in Inglewood, California, in the NFL’s inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game. Because the broadcast is set for Netflix, viewers would need a paid subscription unless another access arrangement is made.
Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, tied the dispute to legislation she introduced last month, the For the Fans Act, which she says would give fans free live broadcasts of their home state’s professional sports teams.
“As the cost of just about everything continues to rise, the NFL is once again asking Wisconsinites to spend their hard-earned money on another streaming service. Enough is enough,” Baldwin said in a statement. “My For the Fans Act would stop this exact scenario and prevent Wisconsin families from being forced to pay for Netflix just to watch the Packers play this Thanksgiving.”
The fight reflects a broader frustration among fans and lawmakers as more live sports move from traditional television to subscription platforms. The source report noted that games carried on some other streaming services, and even on NFL Network, have been made available on local television, while Netflix remains an exception.
Netflix has been building a limited live-sports portfolio around marquee events rather than full-season packages. The company has carried NFL Christmas Day games since 2024 and holds rights to five NFL games in 2026, including the league’s first game in Australia, according to the report. Its NFL arrangement also includes regular-season games and NFL Honors through 2029.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said this week that the company is not trying to buy entire sports seasons. “We’re not bidding on whole season of sports, including the NFL,” Sarandos told Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”
For Packers fans, the immediate question is simpler: whether one of the league’s new holiday showcases will remain available only to Netflix subscribers. Baldwin’s legislation has put that question into a wider debate over how much of the live sports calendar should sit behind separate paywalls.
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