The NFL built an empire on Sunday football. Now, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Fred Toucher, the league is quietly dismantling it in the name of greed.
What We Know: The NFL’s streaming expansion continues to grow. For the upcoming 2026 NFL season, the NFL will pair games on Prime Video, Netflix, and Peacock. The league will not be partnering with YouTube this season after the league’s debut on the platform last year. Currently the league is facing criticism of the amount of games on streaming platforms by President Donald Trump and scrutiny from the U.S. Justice Department. The NFL still claims that roughly 87% of its games broadcast on free broadcast networks such as FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC. Toucher believes that recent shifts in scheduling games on days outside of Sundays plus more games on streaming platforms is running a big risk for the league.
What They Said: Fred Toucher on his concerns about the NFL shifting away games on Sundays to other days of the week: “The NFL is pivoting away from the traditional Sunday games. Which I happen to think is a little dangerous for business. You’ve built something unique, and you’ve gone into this unprecedented height. Then you start changing what inherently might be the reason it’s as popular as it is. You could make an argument that the weekly habit of Sunday football is part of the reason the NFL has become as popular as it is. It’s not every day. There is a exclusivity to it, and there is a routine and the habit that the people have.”
Fred Toucher believes NFL owners are acting too greedy for the league’s own good: “It seems like a quick money grab. It seems like they’re trying to grab as much money as they can, because they’re all old. Since the owners, for the most part, are so old. They’re not really interested in the legacy of the NFL or it’s staying power. They want to make as much money as possible as soon as possible.”
Fred Toucher believes NFL owners are taking advantage of “desperate” streaming platforms: “This is the time to get in on the streaming channels. They’re desperate and they’re throwing a lot of money around. Because you know they’re not going to be in like the next cycle. They’re going to be more established, or there’s going to be more options. They [NFL owners] have a greedy company [streaming platforms] with a ton of money in its hands, ready to throw it at them. Who doesn’t care about the ratings of it. They just want to put the NFL on their product.”
What Remains Unclear: The National Football League has made it clear that it is open to exploring new distribution options with streaming platforms. Current NFL media agreements also include opt-out clauses over the next several years. That has created concern that the league could shift even further from broadcast television to streaming. So far, however, the NFL has not announced new deals with additional streaming platforms. As for Toucher’s criticism, NFL owners are focused on maximizing revenue from future media rights agreements, regardless of whether streaming companies are involved.
What It Means: Toucher’s critique cuts to the core of a real tension. The NFL is the most powerful media property in America. Yet convenience and habit built that power. Fragmenting games across multiple platforms tests fan loyalty. Moreover, more games on more days throughout the week does ruin the uniqueness of owning Sundays. As Toucher suggests, owners chasing short-term streaming revenue may be risking the league’s long-term cultural dominance for a quick payday. The bigger concern, however, is what happens if streaming companies eventually pull back. If that occurs, broadcast networks may no longer have the financial strength to absorb the rising cost of NFL rights packages.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
