Netflix Is Taking the NFL to Australia in September and It's Going to Be Massive

Netflix is about to flip the script on how we watch football. The streaming giant will broadcast the first ever NFL game from Australia in September, with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, Sept. 10. This isn't some random preseason experiment, either. This is prime time international football, and it's coming to your screen whether you expected it or not.

Down Under Gets Prime Time

The game kicks off at 8:35 p.m. ET, which means it'll be Friday morning in Melbourne. Netflix isn't just dipping a toe into international waters here. They've secured multiple big games across the 2026 season: that Australia matchup, at least one Thanksgiving-week game, and two Christmas Day broadcasts. The Wall Street Journal reported back in March that Netflix was negotiating for exactly this kind of expansion, and now it's locked in.

How to Watch (Spoiler: You Need Netflix)

Here's the catch. If you live outside Los Angeles or San Francisco, you'll need a Netflix subscription to catch the Rams-49ers game. But if you're in either of those markets, an over-the-air TV option will be available. It's a smart play from Netflix: lock in the casual fans in LA and the Bay Area on traditional TV, while using the international broadcast to flex the streaming service's reach globally and pull in new subscribers everywhere else.

The Rams and 49ers rivalry doesn't need much extra juice, but playing this thing in Melbourne at 9:35 a.m. local time? That's going to draw eyeballs from Aussie rugby fans curious about American football. Netflix is banking on it, and honestly, this feels like the future of how major sports leagues expand their footprint. The question now is whether this becomes a yearly thing Down Under or if it stays a one-off event.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.