NFL Once Again Pushing Boundaries As New Season Kicks Off

On the cusp of the 2026 NFL season, the league continues to expand its global reach. In a Super Bowl LX rematch on Wednesday night, the reigning champion Seahawks will face off against the Patriots, kicking off a day earlier than usual. This departure from the norm is due to the NFL's inaugural game in Australia, a clash between the 49ers and Rams scheduled for Thursday night.

The league is constrained by the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which prohibits pro football games on Fridays or Saturdays between the second Friday of September and the second Saturday in December. The Australia match takes place during the day due to the 14-hour time difference, resulting in an 8:35 p.m. ET kickoff.

This season's start is on a Wednesday, mirroring an event that occurred in 2012 to avoid conflicting with President Barack Obama's Democratic National Convention acceptance speech. Traditionally, the NFL season kicks off on Thursday. This year, the Packers and Rams will be the first to play on Thanksgiving Eve, a game exclusively streamed on Netflix.

The streaming service has already shown success by attracting significant viewership for their Christmas Day games in 2024. Netflix is increasing its NFL coverage to include five games, such as another Christmas doubleheader, a Week 18 match, and the aforementioned 49ers-Rams showdown in Melbourne. Melbourne will see a record nine regular-season games outside the United States in 2026.

The NFL is looking to potentially increase this number to double digits in 2027 after the owners approved further expansion during the offseason.

Despite the increased focus on primetime and standalone TV windows, the NFL has seen a reduction in traditional Sunday afternoon matchups. Furthermore, the league is concerned about Nielsen's new viewing measurement methodology changes that will take effect this fall. The NFL felt that accurate fan engagement in games was not being fully captured by the audience counts.

In 2025, the NFL reached its best viewership season in over three decades, averaging 18.7 million viewers per game. This remarkable success is largely attributed to Roger Goodell, who recently inked a four-year contract extension keeping him as commissioner until at least March 2031. The existing collective bargaining agreement is set to run until March 2031 as well, and the NFL can begin opting out of its current 11-year, $110 billion media rights deals after the 2029 season.