Baldwin Slams NFL Over Packers Thanksgiving Eve Netflix Deal
Senator Tammy Baldwin Packers Netflix 2026
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) issued a sharp rebuke to the National Football League on Wednesday following the announcement that the Green Bay Packers will face the Los Angeles Rams in the league’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game exclusively on Netflix.
The historic matchup, scheduled for Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at SoFi Stadium, has drawn the senator’s ire because it places a high-profile “home state” game behind a digital paywall. Baldwin argued that forcing Wisconsin families to purchase yet another streaming subscription just to watch their team play during a holiday week is an unnecessary financial burden.
Under current NFL broadcasting rules, while fans in the immediate Green Bay and Milwaukee markets will likely see the game on local broadcast stations, those in other parts of the state would be required to have a Netflix account to view the contest legally.
The controversy has provided fresh momentum for Baldwin’s recently introduced For the Fans Act, which seeks to overhaul how professional sports are broadcast across the country.
This legislation would mandate that all nationally televised games involving a team headquartered in a specific state must be available for free, over-the-air, throughout that entire state. The senator emphasized that as the cost of living continues to rise, the NFL and other professional leagues are creating a “costly subscription nightmare” by selling exclusive rights to the highest bidder.
She noted that the current “maze” of platforms—ranging from Amazon Prime to Peacock—is confusing for fans and particularly difficult for seniors who may not be familiar with modern streaming technology.
The NFL 2026 schedule release has highlighted a significant shift in the league’s media strategy, with Netflix securing a multi-year deal to stream several holiday games through 2029.
This transition to digital-first broadcasting has prompted wider scrutiny from federal lawmakers, including a Department of Justice investigation into whether the league’s broadcasting practices exceed its current antitrust exemptions.
While the NFL maintains that these partnerships allow for technological innovation and global reach, Baldwin and her supporters argue that the public interest is being sacrificed for corporate profit. The upcoming battle over the For the Fans Act is expected to intensify as more traditional sporting events migrate to exclusive streaming services, potentially altering the landscape of American sports media for years to come.
