Netflix presented a doubleheader of NFL games on Christmas Day with playoff implications to a record-setting unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million viewers in the United States. The streaming company, operating in the first year of a three-season deal with the league, broke the records for the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, according to Nielsen Media Research. Both matchups were produced by CBS Sports, while NFL Media produced the pregame, postgame and studio halftime programming. Netflix NFL Christmas Gameday was executive produced by EverWonder Studio.
The opening game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers attained an average minute audience of 24.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data. This represents a year-over-year decline of 18% compared to the early Christmas Day game last year featuring the Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders on CBS.
The second game of the doubleheader with the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans attained an average minute audience of 24.3 million viewers, the most-streamed NFL game in history. Compared to the FOX late-afternoon Christmas Day matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, this year’s comparable game was down 16%. Adults 18-34 accounted for 5.1 million U.S. viewers, the most-watched Christmas Day game on record within the demographic, according to Nielsen records dating back to 2001. Viewership for the doubleheader peaked at 27 million during the halftime performance from Beyoncé.
Both games surpassed the average of 23 million viewers attained by NBCUniversal when it presented an exclusive NFL Wild Card Game on Peacock between the Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs, featuring superstars in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, are seeking to attain three consecutive Super Bowl victories for the first time in league history and have now been part of two of the three most-streamed NFL games. The broadcast also attained engagement on social media, with Netflix occupying 10 of the top 12 trending topics on X in the United States following Beyoncé’s halftime performance.
“Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” Bela Bajaria, chief content officer of Netflix, said in a statement. “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.”
Average minute audience viewership comes from Fast National Live + Same Day data from Nielsen Media Research, which encompasses viewing from the CBS-affiliated stations that broadcast the game in local marketplaces. The metric also contains mobile and web data from Netflix, mobile viewing from the league’s NFL+ streaming product and out-of-home viewing.
The Ravens-Texans and Chiefs-Steelers Christmas Day matchups rank ninth and 10th among the most-watched NFL games on the holiday since 1989, according to data from Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. Lewis also adds that the average of over 24 million viewers is the second-highest for the NFL on Christmas Day since 1995.
According to its latest quarterly earnings report, Netflix has approximately 282.7 million global paid subscribers, with its advertising tier reaching 70 million global users two years after its launch. Additional global ratings and U.S. insights pertaining to the NFL Christmas Day doubleheader will be released on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
“We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience,” Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of media distribution for the National Football League, said in a statement. “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 in a historic day for the NFL.”
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