On Wednesday, the streaming giant Netflix announced its plan to showcase both scheduled matchups for December 25 this year, with at least one additional Christmas game set for 2025 and 2026.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, stated, “Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more.
There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
Seismic Moment in Media Landscape
The announcement marks a seismic moment in the media landscape, as it brings together the largest streaming platform and the most lucrative U.S. sports league. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
NFL Teams to Be Streamed on Netflix
As of Wednesday morning, the NFL had not yet revealed which teams will be playing on Christmas. The matchups for the 2024 season are gradually being disclosed throughout the day.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, in a statement.
“The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans.”
Christmas 2024 Games Streaming on Netflix
The Christmas 2024 games will be streamed on Netflix, offering viewers an alternative platform to watch alongside traditional broadcast TV in the cities of the competing teams. Additionally, the games will be accessible on mobile devices via NFL+.
Netflix’s Expansion into Live Sports
Netflix has been actively pursuing opportunities to enter the live sports arena. While it has previously hosted one-off events in tennis, golf, and a boxing match featuring Mike Tyson and YouTube star Jake Paul on July 20, its collaboration with the NFL marks a significant step forward.
Moreover, starting in January 2025, Netflix will become the home of WWE’s weekly “Raw” series, further solidifying its position in the live sports streaming market.
