Netflix is set to dip its toe into sports streaming as it announced today it has secured the rights to show the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games this year.
The streaming giant also said the three-season deal also means it will screen at least one holiday game on Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026.
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more,” says Netflix chief content officer, Bela Bajaria.
“There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
Netflix has been experimenting with the NFL, for example with its 2023 series Quarterback and new series Receiver premiering this summer, and also with live streaming. It inked a $5bn deal to show World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) flagship weekly programme Raw earlier this year.
However, it has not live-streamed any sports before. The latest deal is a boon for Netflix, which will likely gain huge numbers of subscribers tuning in to watch the event, which ranked among the top 25 most-viewed TV programs of 2023.
The Raiders vs. Chiefs match, attended by Taylor Swift, drew the highest Christmas Day viewership since 1988.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution.
“The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans.”
Media analyst Paolo Pescatore said on X that “this is big big big news” and will help attract new audiences to the NFL.
The NFL is set to reveal its full 2024 schedule tonight, including the Christmas Day match-ups.
It yesterday confirmed which regular season matches both Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would host in the 2024-25 season.