It appears that the interest in live football games and a Beyoncé performance on Netflix extended beyond just American viewers.

The streaming service’s ambitious “NFL Christmas Gameday Live” event attracted an audience comparable to traditional broadcast networks in the U.S. Additionally, it encouraged subscribers from over 200 countries to tune in to parts of the nearly nine-hour broadcast, which featured the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by the Baltimore Ravens against the Houston Texans. During halftime of the latter game, Houston native Beyoncé performed a brief set from her “Cowboy Carter” album, with viewership peaking at 27 million during her performance, which lasted from approximately 6:05 p.m. ET to 6:20 p.m. ET. This highly publicized appearance aimed to highlight Netflix’s debut as an NFL live game partner and attract more casual viewers to its Christmas Day offerings. Mariah Carey opened the first game with her holiday classic, “All I Want for Christmas.”

According to Nielsen data, the Ravens-Texans game averaged 24.3 million viewers, while the earlier Chiefs-Steelers matchup garnered 24.1 million viewers. These figures are impressive for Netflix’s inaugural live sports event and rival the high viewership typically seen on CBS, Fox, NBC, or ESPN for major NFL or college football games. These numbers do not account for the entire audience for Netflix’s coverage, which began at 11 a.m. ET with a pregame show and continued through post-game analysis of the Texans’ 31-2 defeat by the Ravens. The reigning champions, the Chiefs, also secured a decisive 29-10 victory over the Steelers.

“Delivering this record-breaking day of two NFL games to our members was the best Christmas gift we could offer,” stated Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer. “We are grateful for our partnership with the NFL, our talented on-air personalities, and let’s not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”

At the peak of the Chiefs-Steelers game, Netflix reported that one-third of its global subscribers were watching the broadcast. The platform also enhanced the day with a continuous stream of trailers, teasers, and promotional content for various upcoming series and films, including Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore 2” and the much-anticipated Season 2 of “Squid Game,” which premiered on December 26.

“We are excited about our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix, with NFL games streamed to a global audience,” remarked Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution. “Fans from all 50 states and over 200 countries enjoyed watching some of the league’s brightest stars alongside a stunning performance by Beyoncé, marking a historic day for the NFL.”

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The Christmas Day sports viewing landscape was significant overall. The NBA, which has traditionally claimed Christmas Day for its regular-season showcase, reported its highest viewership on December 25 in five years. The five NBA games averaged 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+. The most-watched game featured LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, which attracted 7.8 million viewers, peaking at 8.2 million in the final half-hour. Overall, NBA viewership for the day increased by 84% compared to 2023.

Lakers superstar James even joked in his post-game interview that Christmas Day game action belongs to the NBA. The NFL has intermittently played on December 25 since 1971, but 2024 marks the fourth consecutive year the league has focused on this date. As part of the NFL’s extensive 10-year, $100 billion TV contract renewal in March 2021, Netflix will invest $150 million to broadcast Christmas Day NFL games for three years, ensuring at least two games in the first year and one game in 2025 and 2026. This agreement poses a risk for the NFL, given potential backlash from passionate football fans who lack access to Netflix, a sentiment echoed on social media during the day-long broadcast. However, Netflix successfully managed over eight hours of live game coverage, including pre-and post-game shows, without significant technical issues, marking a success for the platform. The live game coverage was produced for Netflix by CBS Sports, while the additional programming was produced by NFL Network, with EverWonder Studio, backed by Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI, serving as the executive producer for NFL Christmas Gameday.

Netflix is increasingly investing in live sports and events as its business model evolves and sponsorship deals become a priority for its ad-supported tier. Simultaneously, Netflix provides the NFL with streamlined access to high-end television consumers globally. The league has made significant investments in recent years to enhance the popularity of American football in Europe, Latin America, and other key markets, hosting regular-season games in cities like London, Munich, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Mexico City, and Toronto.

The global nature of Netflix’s platform and subscriber base complicates direct comparisons of the audience turnout on Wednesday with other NFL broadcasts. Last year, NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service attracted around 10 million viewers for its exclusive December 23 telecast of a Buffalo Bills-Los Angeles Chargers game, which aired on a Saturday night with less promotional support than Netflix provided for its event.

(Pictured above: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs speak with NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales on December 25 after the Chiefs secured a 29-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Person: Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Bela Bajaria, Hans Schroeder, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Stacey Dales, Blue Ivy, Jeff Zucker

Company Names: Netflix, NFL, CBS Sports, NFL Network, EverWonder Studio, RedBird IMI

Titles: NFL Christmas Gameday Live, Cowboy Carter, Happy Gilmore 2, Squid Game

Disclaimer: This article has been auto-generated from a syndicated RSS feed and has not been edited by Vitrina staff. It is provided solely for informational purposes on a non-commercial basis.