NFL Netflix Debut on Christmas Day: Smooth Start

Netflix made its NFL debut on Christmas Day, and things went off without a hitch. The day kicked off with a pre-recorded performance of Mariah Carey’s hit song “All I Want for Christmas is You” before the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Patrick Mahomes and company faced off against Russell Wilson and the Steelers in the first game of the doubleheader.

In the second game, the Houston Texans hosted the Baltimore Ravens, featuring four of the AFC’s top five teams. Netflix signed a three-year deal in May to broadcast Christmas Day games, making it one of the streaming giant’s biggest days since its launch in 1998. With 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries, Netflix is streaming the games in five languages – English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. This is the first time one platform has globally distributed an NFL game.

While Netflix had some streaming issues during the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on Nov. 14, there were no major problems during the Christmas Day games. Despite a few mishaps during the pregame show, including a brief moment of silence due to technical issues with the microphone, the broadcast ran smoothly.

The highlight of the halftime show during the Ravens-Texans game was a live performance by Beyoncé at NRG Stadium. Viewers from all 50 states and nearly 200 countries tuned in to watch the lead-up to kickoff, making it a global event.

This marked the NFL’s first Wednesday games since 2020, when the league had to adjust its schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The games were a rare occurrence, with the last Wednesday game before that happening in 2012.