Netflix has made significant strides with its inaugural NFL Christmas Day streaming event, boasting impressive audience numbers for two highly anticipated matchups. The streaming platform, for the first time, offered live coverage of the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens against the Houston Texans, attracting nearly 65 million viewers across the United States on December 25, 2023, according to Nielsen data.
The Ravens-Texans clash, which followed the Chiefs' win, recorded the highest viewership, averaging 24.3 million viewers. The peak moment arrived during halftime when music icon Beyoncé took the stage, capturing the attention of over 27 million fans. This event marked the most-watched Christmas Day NFL game on record, particularly popular among the 18-34 demographic, with 5.1 million young adults tuning in.
The earlier game of the day saw the Chiefs triumph over the Steelers with a comparable average of 24.1 million viewers. Notably, these figures are competitive, though slightly below those of last year's Christmas Day games, which included teams like the Chiefs and the Raiders and had audiences reaching as high as 29.2 million viewers.
This landmark event highlights Netflix's strategy to expand its sporting content, following its three-year partnership with the NFL, which promises at least one Christmas Day game each year through 2026. Netflix has gone all out to draw viewers, including pre-game performances by Mariah Carey and the much-anticipated Beyoncé halftime show.
Netflix's chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, expressed excitement over the event's success, stating, "Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered. We’re thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and let's please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.">
Beyoncé's performance, branded as the "Beyoncé Bowl," showcased her new album Cowboy Carter and was preceded by her song "16 Carriages" during a pre-taped segment. Following this, she treated viewers to heartfelt renditions of several songs, including "Blackbird," and live performances featuring guest artists. The show culminated with her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, joining her onstage.
This Christmas Day was not only pivotal for Netflix but also for the NFL, which statistically achieved two of its largest audiences ever for the holiday, averaging over 24 million viewers per game. The performance helped the streaming service to tap deeply and successfully connect with younger audiences over traditional broadcasters.
Despite this success, there were reports indicating Netflix's audience numbers fell short compared to last year, where one game alone peaked at over 29 million viewers. This year’s matches, which brought about five million fewer viewers than the previous Christmas games, still stand strong, landing at 12th and 16th overall among all Christmas Day games from 1989 to the present.
Netflix executives, including NFL’s Hans Schroeder, expressed enthusiasm about the streaming service's growth and the ability to stream to global audiences. "We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience. Fans in all 50 states and over 200 countries around the world watched some of the league’s brightest stars along with a dazzling performance by Beyoncé on this historic day for the NFL," he remarked.
Netflix's foray this Christmas marks only the beginning of what it hopes will be a growing trend of live sports streaming—tapping not only NFL's base but also reaching viewers who prefer home entertainment over traditional broadcast. The streaming service aims to release global ratings and additional insights later this month. Such data will likely reveal the broader reach of its NFL Christmas Gameday event.
Overall, Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL games and Beyoncé's halftime show showcased the potential of streaming sports content, presenting new opportunities for both viewers and the NFL, paving the way for more dynamic and diverse broadcasting strategies.
