Netflix will have one of its biggest days since the site launched in 1998 on Wednesday, when it streams two NFL games for the first time.
“NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in game two.
The streaming giant agreed in May to a three-year deal to broadcast Christmas Day games.
Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in more than 190 countries will be able to stream the games, marking the first time any media outlet has distributed an NFL game globally. Netflix will offer the games in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German.
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The games will also be broadcast on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy states that games broadcast on cable or streamed exclusively must also be broadcast on an over-the-air station in competing teams’ markets. It will also be available on mobile devices in the United States for those with NFL+.
The main reason is money. The league is getting $150 million from Netflix for this season’s two games. It also continues the NFL’s move toward streaming: Thursday night games are in their third season on Amazon Prime Video, and the “Sunday Ticket” package moved to YouTube TV last year.
And the league wasn’t about to give up on Christmas after seeing the ratings. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million.
This time, the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans played Saturday, giving them the same turnaround they would have if they played Sunday and then Thursday.
All four have clinched a playoff spot in the AFC, but seeding remains up for grabs.
Kansas City (14-1) can clinch the top seed — which would mean a first-round bye and a field throughout the playoffs — with a win against the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied atop the AFC North at 10-5, with the Steelers holding the tiebreaker due to a better conference record.
Houston (9-6) won the AFC South and holds the fourth seed.
Netflix hopes so. Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction and sports, said the system was put through one stress test and then another for the November 14 fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paulas well as Internet service providers who said they were also overwhelmed by the surge that occurred before and during the fighting.
It peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million in the United States. According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers reported outages or streaming issues before and during the fight.
Possible? Yes. Likely? No.
The largest audience for an exclusive NFL game streaming was 23 million on Peacock for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Dolphins and Miami Chiefs.
Nielsen will measure audiences for Christmas Day matches, with the first figures expected late Thursday afternoon.
Mariah Carey will start the day with a recorded performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
It’s unclear if Taylor Swift will make the trip to Pittsburgh to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been spending time in Kansas City since finishing his record-breaking Eras tour two weeks ago.
The NFL will host at least two games on December 25 in 2025 and 2026, and Netflix is expected to host at least one every year. Amazon Prime Video will offer a nighttime game with Christmas falling on a Thursday next year.
Netflix’s global partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on January 6 when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service.
Netflix secured U.S. rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Friday.