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Netflix has made a deal with the National Football League, the first of its kind for the streaming giant.
According to reports, Netflix is now a member of the sports streaming game as it has entered into a partnership with the National Football League. The deal is set for three years beginning with the upcoming 2024-2025 season. The deal will also include two Christmas Day games to be aired this year. The two games that Netflix will carry on Christmas Day will be rivalry games – the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to take on the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Baltimore Ravens head to NRG Stadium to face off against the Houston Texans. The Pittsburgh and Kansas City game holds a potential surge in viewing thanks to Taylor Swift’s huge fan base (she’s currently dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce).
The streaming giant is expanding its sports offerings, having finalized a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment for the rights to stream its weekly flagship show “Raw”. It’s set to stream the highly anticipated match between social media influencer Jake Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson in July. The move falls in line with Netflix’s aggressive foray into live events within the past few years. It recently played host to “The Roast of Tom Brady”, which ranked as its highest-rated English language show within the past two weeks.
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more,” Bela Bejaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences N.F.L. football attracts.” Netflix’s entry into a game where Amazon has currently locked down Thursday night games since 2022 and NBC’s Peacock landed a playoff game in a landmark deal last season is set to have a serious impact. “Getting the king of premium streamers to say we are in the sports business for real is a pretty big deal for television,” said Lightshed Partners technology analyst Richard Greenfield. “Because it doesn’t matter what this means now — it just shows you you’ve got another serious bidder for sports rights.”
A viral question aimed at women has spread around the internet over the last few weeks: Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or with a bear? After listening to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s bigoted commencement address at Benedictine College, singer Maren Morris has her answer.
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In a post to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday (May 15), Morris shared a clip from Butker’s address, in which the footballer claimed that the graduating women had “the most diabolical lies” told to them, and encouraging them to consider taking on “one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.” Morris summed up her feelings on Butker’s comments — and on the aforementioned question — in just four words: “I choose the bear,” she wrote.
Morris is far from the only celebrity to criticize Butker’s comments. In a post to his X account on Tuesday (May 14), rapper Flavor Flav called out Butker and encouraged him to, respectfully, stop talking. “Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches,” he wrote.
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Meanwhile, Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, responded to Butker’s anti-LGBTQ comments made throughout his address — including saying that Pride Month represented “deadly sins” — calling them “a clear miss,” as well as “inaccurate, ill-informed, and woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”
The speech began blowing up online thanks, in part, to the fact that Butker quoted lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Bejeweled” during his speech. Speaking about bishops who derive pleasure “from the adulation they receive from their parishioners,” Butker made sure to quote “my teammate’s girlfriend” in saying “‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’”
After many called for the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs to comment on Butker’s speech, Jonathan Beane, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for the league, shared a statement with People on Wednesday. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” he said. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Billboard has not yet heard back from the Chiefs after a request for comment.
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The 2024 NFL Draft is rolling into the Motor City! The three-day draft event kicks off on Thursday (April 25) at 8 p.m. ET.
According to the NFL, the draft will take place in the downtown Detroit area surrounding Campus Martius and Hart Plaza.
Draft Experience, the NFL’s interactive, -themed park where fans can test out their football skills, visit interactive exhibits, autograph sessions, pose with the Vince Lombardi trophy, shop exclusive merchandise and more. The Draft Experience is presented by Rocket Mortgage.
Big Sean will headline the 2024 NFL Draft Concert Series on Thursday at 6:15 p.m. The Detroit Youth Choir is scheduled for Friday and Bazzi on Saturday. The free concert will begin before Round 1 on Thursday and Round 3 on Friday.
Saturday’s performance will take place after the draft at Draft Theater. Visit NFL.com/draftevent for free passes.
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The NFL draft will include a total of seven rounds. Over the next three days, 257 players will be selected. Currently, the Chicago Bears have the first pick, followed by the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers round out the top five.
Read on to find out all the ways to watch the 2024 NFL draft.
How to Watch the NFL Draft for Free
The first round of the 2024 NFL draft will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network.
How can you stream the 2024 NFL Draft for free? Sports lovers who don’t have cable or access to live television can watch the draft on platforms such as DirecTV and Fubo TV, which offer ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and hundreds of other live and on-demand channels; plus DVR and multiple device streams for less than $80 per month.
You can watch and stream the 2024 NFL Draft on your TV, smart phone, tablet and other streaming devices via the ESPN app, ABC app and NFL+.
NFL+ offers access to the NFL Network, NFL Training camps and other off-season content, regular season games, postseason games and much more. Plans start at $6.99/month.
Want more streaming deals? Join Sling TV for just $20 for the first month. Subscribers can stream over 32 channels on Sling TV including ESPN, TNT, TLC, Bravo, FX and local channels such as ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox (in select regions.)
Another streaming option: Hulu + Live TV. You’ll get a three-day free trial, plus access to 90+ channels in addition to Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.
Those who already have access to local channels via an antenna, cable, satellite, etc., have the option of watching the NFL draft on ABC and ABC.com in addition to ESPN, so long as your cable or streaming plan allows it.
Streaming from outside of the U.S.? Watch the draft with a free trial from Express VPN.
Lastly, if you won’t be able to watch but still want to hear all of the festivities, the 2024 NFL draft will be available on ESPN Radio.
Big Sean won’t ever suit up in an NFL game, but he’ll have his name called at the NFL Draft and walk across that stage for other reasons. That’s because Detroit’s own Big Sean has been announced as the league’s official headliner for the Bud Light NFL Draft Concert Series when the draft comes to the D next week, from April 25 to 27.
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Sean Don is set to perform ahead of round one of the NFL Draft next Thursday (April 25), when he’ll take the Draft Theater stage around 6:15 p.m. ET to warm up the thousands in the Campus Martius Park audience.
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“With the Draft coming to Detroit, we knew the importance of representing the rich cultural history and music legacy of this city as part of our NFL Draft Concert Series,” Tim Tubito, director of event presentation and content at the NFL, said in a statement.
“With an incredible lineup of headliners who all hail from the region, we’re excited for these great artists to help us create an amazing on-site experience for our fans and prospects.”
The Detroit Youth Choir will hit the stage on day two (April 26), and Michigan native Bazzi will close out the concert series with a performance on Saturday night (April 27). The NFL Draft Concert Series is completely free of charge for fans, and general admission with be on a first-come-first-served basis.
Those seeking entry to the draft festivities just need to sign up for the NFL OnePass app. Attendees can also head to the nearby Hart Plaza for the Draft Experience, which will host player appearances, exhibits, games and more.
The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night (April 25) with the Chicago Bears on the clock; the team is widely expected to select USC quarterback Calebl Williams with the first pick.
ESPN will be broadcasting wall-to-wall coverage as the home of the NFL Draft all weekend.
As for Big Sean, he ended his hiatus with his comeback single “Precision” in March. Sean Don promised an album “coming soon” during his soulful Tiny Desk concert, and will become an author with his first book, Go Higher, arriving later this year.
See the announcement of Big Sean’s NFL Draft performance below:
If Coach Andy Reid ever steps away from the Kansas City Chiefs, maybe Taylor Swift could be next in line. The pop star is already close with many of the team’s players thanks to her romance with tight end Travis Kelce, and in a new interview, quarterback Patrick Mahomes revealed that she’s been studying up on the sport.
“I’ve met a lot of famous people now in my life,” the three-time Super Bowl champion told Time in his Tuesday (April 16) cover story. “Taylor’s probably the most down-to-earth person that’s been on that stage for that long.”
“She’s never not working,” he continued. “Even when she’s taking her downtime, she’s working on something. Shooting a music video or singing a song or writing a song. You can see it by how she talks. Even when she’s talking about , when she’s learning it, you can see her business mind putting it together.”
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Mind you, Swift wasn’t even interested in the NFL before she and Kelce became an item, as the offensive lineman revealed on a recent episode of his New Heights podcast. But now?
“It’s almost like she’s trying to become a coach,” added Mahomes. “‘Why can’t you try this, this, and this?’ She’s asking the right questions.”
Swift has been a key part of Chiefs Kingdom since last fall, when she first started attending games at Arrowhead Stadium to support Kelce. Between then and the 2024 Super Bowl — where she was on hand to help celebrate after Kansas City scored its second victory in a row — the 14-time Grammy winner has made friends with players such as Mecole Hardman, as well as Brittany Mahomes, who is married to the team’s star quarterback.
The superstar’s presence quantifiably gave the Chiefs a major boost in exposure, which some critics speculated was becoming too distracting when the team went through a rough patch mid-season, but Patrick told Time that his team paid it no mind. “[The Chiefs] went from a nationwide team that was kind of global to a full global worldwide team,” he said. “That came from Taylor’s fanbase.”
“We just embraced it,” he continued. “We like having that visibility. At the end of the day, football has always been this bruising sport. We want to make it fun, where kids grow up and play football and show their personality and be who they are. This year really magnified that.”
See Patrick Mahomes on the cover of Time below.
Patrick Mahomes
Joshua Kissi for TIME
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Tom Brady might be reconsidering his retirement. In a recent interview he said he is not opposed to returning back to the NFL.
ESPN is reporting that the gridiron legend’s cleats aren’t hung up for good. Earlier this week he was a guest on the Deep Cut Podcast where he gave his take on a variety of topics. When asked by host Vic Blends if he would entertain any offers to play quarterback for a team during the 2024 season he made it clear he is ready to go if permitted. “I’m not opposed to it,” Tom Brady revealed. “I don’t know if they are going to let me if I become an owner of an NFL team. I’m always going to be in good shape. I’ll always be able to throw the ball. So, to come in for a little bit, like MJ [Michael Jordan] coming back, I don’t know if they would let me. But I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
In 2023, Tom Brady submitted a request to the Las Vegas Raiders to join the team’s ownership group. Even though the seven-time champion is held in very high regard his bid is not guaranteed as per the league’s commissioner, Roger Goodell. “I wouldn’t say it’s a delay,” Goodell explained. “We go through a very thorough process. We’re just going through our process. We’ve been in touch with their side. I think it’s been making progress.”
Minority ownership stakes aside Tom Brady will be slotted to offer his analysis and commentary on the next season of Fox Sports. “My career and all that, that’s a thing of the past in my mind. I was a gladiator out there, and now my time has moved on. Now it’s, ‘OK, how can I deliver for my next group of teammates?’ he added.
You can see Tom Brady discuss his options while getting a haircut below.
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Travis Kelce has a lot to celebrate these days. In addition to coming off his third Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year, the NFL tight end spoke to People about his awesome year, telling the mag that, “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m a guy that some people say […]
Travis Kelce is very aware of the public’s fixation on his romance with Taylor Swift, and at a Thursday (Feb. 8) pre-Super Bowl press conference, the tight end explained where he thinks the continued hype comes from. When asked why the world is so “fascinated” by his relationship, Kelce was quick to respond. “I think […]
An important piece of the Tayvis timeline has finally been clarified, thanks to Travis Kelce. In a recent interview, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end revealed exactly how long he and Taylor Swift knew each other before she first broke the internet by attending one of his games at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri late September.
“We had known each other for close to a month up to that point,” Kelce said on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday (Jan. 31), smiling.
Leading up to that fateful Sept. 24 Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears game, the player had actually teased that Swift might attend on McAfee’s show. “I threw the ball in her court,” he said at the time. “I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.’”
Even so, Swifties and NFL fans alike were shocked when the “Anti-Hero” singer did show up to cheer Kelce on in a box suite alongside his mom, Donna. But, as No. 87 said in the new interview, “It wasn’t just an out of the blue, ‘Hey, come to the game.’”
“It’s exciting for me, but it was all brand new, man,” he added of the beginnings of his relationship with the musician. “From having the paparazzi follow me every single day into work to everybody having my name on their talk show every single day … It’s been a crazy, crazy ride that I could have never anticipated. But I’m having fun with it. The majority of the world is having fun with it, outside all the cranky NFL fans that just don’t want to see the Chiefs win.”
Swift herself previously cleared up that she and Kelce were already a couple by the time she went to her first game, telling TIME in her Person of the Year cover story, “We actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other.”
“I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game?” she continued in the December interview. “We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
Since then, the 12-time Grammy winner has attended about a dozen of Kelce’s games, and fans are hopeful she’ll make it to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas Feb. 11. At the AFC Championship game Sunday (Jan. 28), Swift joined the Ohio native down on the field at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland following the Chiefs’ 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, kissing him in front of NFL cameras.
“I love it when Taylor comes and supports me and enjoys the game with the fam and friends,” Kelce gushed to McAFee. “It’s been nothing but a wonderful year, man.”
Watch Kelce on the Pat McAfee Show below.
We’re happy for you brother..”It’s been a crazy ride that I could’ve never anticipated and I’m having fun with it..Taylor and I knew each other for close to a month before she came to that first game”@tkelce #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/W38R6RYxzi— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 31, 2024
A year ago, Taylor Swift was a born and raised Philadelphia Eagles fan. Now, she’s modeling Kansas City Chiefs gear with Brittany Mahomes at an AFC Championship game. The pop star and women’s soccer team owner proudly showed off their AFC Champions caps in newly shared photos on Brittany’s Instagram from the Sunday (Jan. 28) […]
