Netflix has expanded its live sports offerings significantly with the National Football League (NFL) with a ground-breaking arrangement to broadcast two of the league’s most famous games. Netflix, which is expanding its library of on-demand material to include live sports, announced on Wednesday that it will broadcast the NFL’s Christmas Day games in 2024. This will be the first time the streaming service has done this.
The agreement also covers at least one Christmas Day game in the 2025 and 2026 seasons beyond that, according to NFL executives. This action is a component of the NFL’s larger plan to improve its online visibility and expand its audience base outside of traditional broadcast and cable television by using digital media.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, emphasized the strategic shift towards live content, stating, “Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more.” Bajaria highlighted the unparalleled audience draw of NFL games, especially during the festive season, noting, “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts.”
Previously, Netflix has experimented with sports-related content, producing highly popular documentary-style series on sports like rugby union, tennis, golf, and Formula One. Along with one-off tennis and golf events, the platform has also dabbled in live sports programming. On July 20, a heavyweight boxing battle between Mike Tyson and YouTuber Jake Paul is set to take place live.
Apart from these occasions, NFL-themed reality shows on Netflix, such as “Quarterback” and its impending spin-off “Receiver,” which tracks the careers of well-known NFL wide receivers, have also been successful. These ventures into the sports content space have prepared the ground for the NFL’s new relationship, as the league is using streaming platforms more and more to broadcast its games. NFL games are currently accessible on NBC’s and Amazon’s streaming service, Peacock.
“We could not be more excited to be the first professional sports league to work with Netflix to provide live games to fans across the world,” said Hans Schroeder, Executive Vice President of Media Distribution for the NFL. He continued by saying that the best way to increase spectator engagement worldwide is to combine the NFL’s Christmas games with Netflix, whose viewership peaks during the holiday season.
The announcement has the potential to drastically alter how NFL fans watch games throughout the globe, especially given how streaming services are upending established media consumption habits. The NFL will issue the season schedule later in the day, which will include the individual games slated for Christmas Day 2024.
The financial details of the agreement between Netflix and the NFL are unknown, but both parties stand to gain from it. It gives Netflix the opportunity to add much-needed live sports programming to its library while the NFL reaches a wider audience around the globe.
The NFL’s mobile app and traditional television will both carry the Christmas Day games; however, Netflix will feature the most of the action, providing fans with an additional means of keeping up with what is quickly turning into a beloved holiday custom.
