Netflix and the NFL announced a three-year deal Wednesday to stream games on Christmas Day.
The streaming giant will release two games this year and at least one game in 2025 and 2026. Netflix announced during a presentation to advertisers that it will have defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City in Pittsburgh, followed by Baltimore in Houston.
The NFL has played a total of 30 games on Christmas Day since 1971, including three last year. However, he stayed away from midweek games until this year.
Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of NFL Media, said the plan was presented to owners during league meetings in March, where teams that played on Christmas Day would have their Week 16 games on Saturday, which would give them the same amount of preparation time. they typically have a short week when they play on Sunday and Thursday.
After the owners gave the go-ahead to proceed, Netflix approached the league about broadcasting the games.
“We had an extensive process and talked to several potential parties, and ultimately we thought Netflix was the right fit,” Schroeder said. “This is truly the first truly global rights deal with a major sports league or property. We will learn a lot and we look forward to our fans around the world being able to enjoy the games on a single platform.”
Netflix began streaming NFL programming last year with the series “Quarterback.” A series about wide receivers will premiere this year. It also live-streamed the Tom Brady roast on May 5 and will have a 10-part documentary series later this year on Jerry Jones and his ownership of the Dallas Cowboys.
Netflix’s forays into live sports streaming began last year, but they were golf and tennis viewing events. Also scheduled to air is the July 20 fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul and next year will begin airing World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship show, “Raw.”
“People love it and so do we. These games go with our live strategy for big events from all the live programming we’ve done over the past year – like The Tom Brady Roast, the Netflix Slam, and the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Tyson boxing fight. We’re excited to have the NFL conversation on Christmas Day,” Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria told The Associated Press following its advance to advertisers.
Who Netflix will use to announce and produce the holiday doubleheader has yet to be determined.
The big question is how the shift from broadcast television to streaming will affect ratings, as Christmas games typically draw large audiences. Last year’s three games had an average of 28.68 spectators. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs averaged 29.48 million.
While there has been some criticism about more games moving to streaming, most NFL fans have stayed tuned.
According to Nielsen numbers, last season’s 16-game “Thursday Night Football” package on Prime Video averaged 11.86 million viewers, a 24% increase from 2023. Two games had more than 15 million of viewers, including 15.3 million for the Nov. 30 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
The Jan. 13 AFC wild-card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on Peacock averaged 23 million, a record for the most-watched event on a streaming service. It also surpassed the attendance of Saturday night playoff games that have been shown on NBC in two of the last three years.
“We looked at all of these elements and then looked at what the Netflix audience could do with its reach,” Schroeder said. “We want to continue reaching our fans on these new platforms and where we know they are spending their time. And bringing in a new partner who can speak to an even broader audience is something we’re excited about.”
In accordance with the NFL’s long-standing policy regarding games broadcast on cable or streaming platforms, Netflix’s Christmas games will be broadcast on broadcast TV in competing teams’ home cities and will be available on mobile devices in the U.S. with NFL+.
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