Seven Network Locks Exclusive Free-to-Air NFL Rights for Full 2026 Season

The Seven Network has locked down exclusive Australian free-to-air rights to the 2026 NFL season. The package includes weekly games, the playoffs, Super Bowl LXI, and the first regular-season contest ever staged on Australian soil.

San Francisco 49ers face Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, September 11. Kickoff sits in the Australian morning window. Seven and 7plus Sport will carry the game live and free.

Coverage begins with a special edition of Sunrise broadcast live from Melbourne. Main game production rolls from 9 a.m. AEST. Fans watching at home get the same multi-platform access they already expect from Seven’s other major sports properties.

Expanded Studio Show and Full-Season Reach

NFL Tailgate grows to two episodes each week. A new Friday preview joins the established Monday morning review. The show will deliver news, analysis, and highlights throughout the campaign.

Southern Cross Media Group Managing Director and CEO Rohan Lund framed the deal as a natural extension of Seven’s sports identity.

“Seven’s dominance in sport is unmatched, and securing the free-to-air exclusive rights to the NFL, headlined by the historic first regular season game at the MCG, is a landmark moment. Australians possess an unrivalled passion for live sport, and our focus is on bringing the world’s biggest sporting spectacles to local audiences completely free. By combining the scale of free-to-air broadcast with the flexibility of 7plus Sport, our multi-platform expertise ensures that every fan, no matter how or where they watch, gets a front-row seat to the action.”Rohan Lund, Southern Cross Media Group Managing Director and CEO

NFL General Manager Australia and New Zealand Charlotte Offord called Australia a priority market.

“Growing fandom in Australia and globally is at the core of the NFL’s international strategy, and being able to work together with great media partners like the Seven Network to reach the widest audiences is critical to us being able to achieve that. The 2026 season will see Australian fans able to access comprehensive broadcast coverage live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport, including key tent pole moments like the NFL Melbourne Game and Super Bowl LXI.”Charlotte Offord, NFL General Manager Australia and New Zealand

Southern Cross Media Group Director of Sport, TV, Audio and Streaming Chris Jones pointed to the timing.

“Securing the NFL rights is a huge win for Seven and couldn’t come at a better time. With the first-ever regular season NFL game heading to Melbourne, we’re seeing the incredible momentum the sport has built across Australia. Fan interest has never been stronger, and audiences are embracing the league in record numbers.”Chris Jones, Southern Cross Media Group Director of Sport, TV, Audio and Streaming

Context Inside the Newly Merged Group

The rights arrive as Southern Cross Media Group continues to settle after its January 2026 merger with Seven West Media. The $385 million all-scrip takeover closed after near-unanimous shareholder support. Jeff Howard left the Managing Director and CEO role earlier in the year. Rohan Lund now holds the post.

The combined group’s first half-year results as a single entity showed a roughly 17 percent drop in profit even as digital platforms, including 7plus and LiSTNR, recorded revenue growth. Chairman Heith Mackay-Cruise has pointed to record audience shares across television, audio, and digital. The NFL package adds a high-profile live-sport asset to that cross-platform push.

Picture the MCG on a September morning. The ground that has staged cricket Tests, AFL grand finals, and Olympic moments will stretch a rectangular American football field across its vast oval. Pads will crack under Australian sun. Visiting fans from California will mix with local supporters who have followed the league through late-night or early-morning broadcasts for years. That energy is what Seven is banking on delivering free to every household with a television or 7plus login.

The deal sits inside a crowded second-half sports calendar that already includes the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, AFL finals, the summer of cricket, and the Bathurst 1000. Adding the full NFL slate and the Melbourne showcase gives Australian fans one more reason to stay locked to free-to-air and streaming options they already use.