Netflix, looking for on-camera talent for the NFL games it will stream Christmas Day, is talking to Drew Brees and Scott Hason, according to a report in Front Office Sports.
A former star quarterback in the NFL, Brees worked for NBC calling NFL and Notre Dame games after he retired. His work earned lukewarm reviews.
Hanson hosts the NFL’s RedZone. In addition he served as host of the Gold Zone during NBC’s coverage of the Paris Olympics.
CBS Sports will be handling production of the games because sports at new to Netflix. Netflix long vowed it wasn’t interested in live sports. It is now looking for talent to make its games stand out. Reports this week said that Mina KImes of ESPN was being discussed for a studio role during the Christmas football doubleheader.
Netflix is paying the NFL $150 million to stream the two games.
Ian Eagle, Nate Burleson and J.J. Watt are set to handle the early contest between the Chiefs and Steelers on Christmas Day. Eagle’s son Noah Eagle and Greg Olsen will be at the mic for the nightcap between the Texans and Ravens.
Eyes will be on Netflix on Christmas and not just for football. Industry execs will be watching to see if the streaming leader will be able to handle the traffic the games are expected to generate. During a fight card headlined by Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, Netflix subscribers enountered buffering problems and other glitches as a result of millions of people logging in at the same time.
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