The Seattle Seahawks are leading the scoreboard in Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, but the action in the commissioner’s luxury box may have been just as significant for the NFL’s financial future.
The Super Bowl hosting signals the NFL’s upcoming media rights negotiations. While the current $111 billion deals are theoretically set to run until 2033, the league is widely expected to exercise its early opt-out clauses in 2029 and 2030 for Disney.
Meanwhile, Roger Goodell’s company in the Super Bowl box is giving a hint of what the football community can expect about media rights. The 66-year-old hosted at least six major media and tech executives in his suite, according to Puck media correspondent Dylan Byers.
SCOOP @PuckNews:
Media executives in NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s box at Super Bowl:
* Mathias Dopfner (CEO of Axel Springer)
* Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google)
* Neal Mohan (CEO of YouTube)
* Ted Sarandos (CEO of Netflix)
* David Ellison (CEO of Paramount)
* Josh D'Amaro…— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 9, 2026
The guest list included Google CEO Sundar Pichai, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Paramount CEO David Ellison, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner and incoming Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
Not surprisingly, these executives represent companies already involved with the NFL in various ways. Some handle Sunday ticket packages, others hold afternoon game packages and some control the rights to “Monday Night Football.” Netflix, for example, owns the rights to the Christmas Day games.
Each of them is a frontrunner for expanded deals that could push the league’s media valuation into unprecedented territory. And the timing isn’t coincidental, as Goodell told CNBC last year that the league could renegotiate things as early as 2026.
Surprisingly, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Fox’s Lachlan Murdoch and Comcast’s Brian Roberts are notable missing names from the list. And this can mean many things, since sports deals depend heavily on data and personal connections during negotiations.
So, it’s worth noting that by being in the commissioner’s suite at the Super Bowl, those six media CEOs gained an edge if new deals or changes were being discussed.
Related: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Under Fire for Officiating Comments Before Super Bowl LX