The future of NFL viewership and fandom relies on streaming deals.

• The NFL's recent media rights deals with streaming services demonstrate the league's efforts to expand its fanbase and audience, according to speakers at CNBC x Boardroom's Game Plan event.
• Amazon's Prime Video, Google's YouTube TV, and NBCUniversal's Peacock have streamed NFL games.
• On Christmas Day, NFL games will be streamed on Netflix as part of the league's first "truly global" media rights deal, according to Hans Schroeder, NFL's executive vice president of media distribution.

The NFL's streaming strategy is proving successful and expanding its audience both domestically and internationally.

At the Game Plan sports business event on Tuesday, NFL's executive vice president of media distribution, Hans Schroeder, stated that the league's recent exclusive streaming deals with media companies demonstrate its efforts to expand its viewership.

The NFL's 2021 $111 billion media rights deal included streaming, with "Thursday Night Football" being exclusively streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Other legacy media partners were also granted permission to begin streaming games on their services.

The NFL's "Sunday Ticket" package was acquired by YouTube TV, NBCUniversal started streaming "Sunday Night Football" games on Peacock, and secured an exclusive Wild Card game that would only show on its streaming service. Additionally, streaming giant secured a deal to air games on Christmas Day, beginning this year.

"Schroeder stated that the current steps are a continuation of a journey that began 15 years ago, with a meeting with Steve Jobs and a small group of individuals. During this meeting, Jobs demonstrated an early version of the iPhone and explained its potential impact on consumers. As a result, the group decided to maintain the rights for live games on mobile phones."

Schroeder stated that the NFL's current media rights strategy is primarily focused on streaming, with the first step being taken to achieve this.

The NFL Wild Card game that was exclusively streamed on Peacock earlier this year was a success, with 27.6 million viewers, making it the most-streamed live event in history, according to Nielsen.

Schroeder stated that for them, the Wild Card game was likely the most transformative moment in the past few years, and it was one of the highest valued and viewed games of the year on Peacock.

This season, the NFL's first-ever game in Brazil was exclusively available on Peacock, averaging 14 million viewers.

At the Game Plan event, NBC Sports President Rick Cordella praised the NFL for wearing white lab coats and conducting experiments.

Peacock's sports strategy began with the launch of English Premier League games in 2020, and it will continue to expand in the 2025-26 season with NBA games.

According to Lori Conkling, YouTube's global head of TV, film, and sports partnerships, the high sports viewership data across the company's platforms supports the decision to offer "Sunday Ticket."

The NFL's media rights deals are mostly with traditional broadcast partners, despite a decline in cable subscriptions. Despite the shift towards streaming services, live sports broadcasts continue to attract a significant audience on traditional TV. According to ratings data, the majority of viewership still comes from traditional TV.

Schroeder stated on Tuesday that the NFL's strategy involves both traditional TV and streaming platforms. Despite this, the league aims to increase its fan base and align with consumer preferences, which are shifting towards streaming. Additionally, the league is attempting to expand beyond its US market and overseas games are just one aspect of this plan.

"Schroeder stated that the Netflix deal could be the first of its kind to be truly global. He added that there are expectations that the global audience alone will rival what a window would do in the US."

For the next three years, NFL games will be streamed on Netflix, with two games being shown this year and at least one matchup in both 2025 and 2026.

Disclosure: Comcast's NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.