President Donald Trump recently took aim at the NFL for putting more games on streaming platforms, warning the league might be "killing the golden goose." He probably won't love the latest news from Netflix Inc Netflix (NFLX): the streaming giant just announced it's adding even more NFL games to its lineup for the upcoming season.

Netflix first dipped its toes into live NFL broadcasting with two Christmas Day games in each of the past two seasons. Now it's diving in deeper. For the 2026 season, Netflix will air a total of five live NFL games and will also be the home of the NFL Honors award show the week of the Super Bowl in February 2027.

Here's what's on the docket:

• Week 1: Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 in Australia — the first regular-season NFL game ever played in the country.
• Thanksgiving Eve: Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday, Nov. 25 — the NFL's first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game.
• Christmas Day: Two unannounced games at 1 p.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. ET.
• Week 18: An unannounced 1 p.m. game on the final day of the regular season.

The full NFL schedule drops Thursday, May 14, so some of those unannounced matchups will be filled in soon. The Week 18 game might be announced later, since that week is all about playoff positioning and the league may want to wait for the best possible matchup.

Netflix also signed a four-year partnership extension that runs through the 2029-2030 season. "Netflix will now be a part of the entire NFL season from September through February at the Super Bowl every year," the company said.

Last year's Christmas games were a massive success for Netflix. The Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings game averaged 27.5 million U.S. viewers, a record for the platform. The Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders game averaged 19.9 million viewers.

President Trump Speaks Out

In a recent interview, Trump criticized the NFL's streaming strategy, arguing that the league could be "killing the golden goose." He said, "They're making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less." The president also claimed consumers would have to pay $1,000 a game, though it wasn't clear what that figure referred to.

The NFL still offers more games on broadcast TV than any other major North American sports league. Its Sunday games air on networks owned by Fox Corp (FOX), Paramount Skydance (PSKY), and Comcast Corp (CMCSA). But the league's non-broadcast games are growing: Thursday Night Football is on Amazon.com Inc (AMZN), Monday Night Football is on ESPN (owned by Walt Disney Co (DIS)), and Christmas Day games are now exclusive to Netflix.

The NFL is currently renegotiating its 11-year media rights deal with its broadcast partners (excluding Netflix). As more streaming companies bid for lucrative NFL rights, the league could shift even more games to streaming. Trump hinted that his administration might step in to challenge the NFL over this trend.

Netflix's Live Content Bet

For Netflix, live sports are a key part of its strategy to keep subscribers on ad-free plans and grow its ad-supported tier. Live events attract advertisers because they guarantee real-time viewership, unlike on-demand shows where viewers can skip ads.

Netflix announced this week that its ad-supported plan has reached 250 million monthly active users. The additional NFL games will likely boost both subscriber numbers and advertising revenue, spread across September, November, December, and January.

So while President Trump may not be thrilled, Netflix is betting big on football — and the numbers suggest it's a smart play.