NFL Christmas Games on Netflix Break Streaming Records
Netflix hit a touchdown with its Christmas Day streaming games, attracting a whopping 65 million viewers in the United States for the Kansas City Chiefs-Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans matchups. According to Nielsen, the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs dominated the early-afternoon game against the Steelers, drawing in an average of 24.1 million viewers. Meanwhile, the late-afternoon showdown between the Ravens and Texans, which ended in a 31-2 Ravens victory, led the day with 24.3 million viewers. These games turned out to be the most streamed NFL games in U.S. history, with over 27 million viewers tuning in for Beyonce’s halftime performance during the Ravens-Texans matchup.
Comparing this year’s doubleheader on Netflix to last year’s tripleheader on CBS, ABC, and Fox, there wasn’t a significant drop in viewership. In fact, Netflix saw an average of 24.2 million viewers this year, compared to 28.68 million viewers in 2023. Among viewers aged 18-34, the Ravens-Texans game was the most-watched Christmas Day game ever, with 5.1 million U.S. viewers tuning in.
Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, expressed gratitude for the record-breaking success of the streaming games, calling them the best Christmas gift they could offer to viewers. Bajaria also thanked the NFL, the on-air talent, and highlighted the dazzling performances by Beyonce and Mariah Carey during the broadcast. It looks like Netflix and the NFL scored big with these Christmas streaming games!
