NFL hoping Christmas Day Netflix games help boost global reach
Two games will be staged on 25 December exclusively via the streaming platform.
The NFL hope by staging two games via Netflix on Christmas Day it will help boost the reach of the league, especially in international markets.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers and the later kick-off as Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans (with a half-time Beyonce performance included for good measure) will be available to watch for the bulk of Netflix’s 270 million plus international subscribers with the games set to be broadcast with the option of five different languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German).
Charlotte Offord, General Manager for NFL Australia, expects fans in the growing market to tune in even though Down Under the games start in the early morning hours the day after Christmas.
“The Netflix initiative is so great for us,” she said. “The nice thing about having Netflix live on Boxing Day morning is creating this new tradition. It’s another tent pole moment on the NFL calendar for fans to really engage and lean into. And it’s still a public holiday.”
Netflix earlier this year enjoyed major sporting success when more than 100 million viewers tuned in for the service’s live boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
Earlier this week, the streaming company and FIFA confirmed a venture which will see the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup broadcast exclusively via Netflix in ten United States.
NFL push overseas
The NFL is aiming to play at least eight international games during the in 2025-26 season, including one possibly in Ireland.
The league has played regular season games in the UK since 2007 but has yet to make the trip to the Emerald Isle with Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, which has hosted college football games, has been suggested as a possible venue.
“We are definitely going to Spain, we announced that,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who was speaking prior to the NFL’s fifth and final game of this season’s overseas schedule between the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants in Munich last November.
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