It's only May and the NFL is already wrapping some Christmas presents.
The league announced today that football fans will tune into not CBS, not Fox, but Netflix on Christmas Day to watch two marquee 2024 matchups.
NFL Christmas Day doubleheader LIVE on @netflix! pic.twitter.com/rWWNlvIBT6
— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2024
The Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing team cities, and be available on US mobile devices with NFL+. The league is set to announce its full 2024 schedule later this evening.
“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 to NFL fans.”
The Raiders-Chiefs game on Christmas Day 2023 drew the highest Christmas Day viewership since 1988, and all three of the games on last year’s Yuletide ranked among the Top 25 most-viewed TV programs of 2023.
“There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
Price Of Admission
According to Awful Announcing, you’ll need the following to watch every single game:
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6 months of YouTube TV
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5 months of Prime Video
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1 month of Peacock
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1 month of ESPN+
- 1 month of Netlifx
Netflix has been posturing for this type of partnership with the NFL for a few years now. The hit series 'Quarterback' in 2023 was a major success, spurring the development of 'Receiver', which is set to premiere on Netflix this summer.
The 'Roast of Tom Brady' was also widely viewed, so buying the rights to a few NFL games seems like a natural progression for the streaming giant.
"Netflix is in the NFL game and they've got two awesome matchups on Christmas Day..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 15, 2024
This is a big international play for Netflix and they're gonna be figures in the NFL moving forward" ~ @PSchrags #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/XYktghhoCT
By partnering with one of the most recognizable brands in modern history, the NFL will garner further international distribution to a massive audience, attracting new fans of younger and more diverse demographics.
While the fracturing of the NFL’s viewing options may leave some fans disgruntled, league officials are definitely not upset with those key value propositions validating the strength of this deal.
