NFL Christmas Gameday Live wasn't the first Netflix's foray in live sports events, but it has been its most significant yet. This year has been the first of a three-year partnership between NFL and Netflix, to broadcast the Christmas day games to ever Netflix subscriber worldwide.
Netflix reportedly paid $150 million dollars for two NFL games: Kansas City Chiefs (the Super Bowl winners this year) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans. It was a no brainer for the NFL, as ABC/ESPN pays an average $26 million per game $2.6 billion per season with around 100 games).
And the bet has paid off for Netflix, too. According to early audience stats, nearly one third of all Netflix subscribers worldwide tuned in to watch the Chiefs vs. Steelers game. Not just people from the US, but from nearly 200 countries. Netflix has arond 282 million subscribers worldwide.
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That made the Chiefs vs. Steelers game the second most popular Live title on Netflix to date. That means it has fallen short of surpassing the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match in November, which was the most streamed sporting event in history, according to Netflix, with over 108 million viewers.
However, Netflix has managed to "eclipse" the peak concurrent viewers of any Christmas day, usually the biggest day of the year for Netflix, in the past 4 years. They achieved it with a little help from Mariah Carey and Beyoncé, who performed in the kickoff and in the halftime, and obviously, they advertised Netflix's most awaited series of the Holidays, Squid Game season 2, opening now.
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"There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts", said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. And it's true: NFL eclipses TV ratings from NBA,