The NFL's premiere on Netflix proved successful for the platform in terms of streaming viewership. However when compared to past traditional broadcast games it showed almost identical numbers despite Beyoncé's halftime show. The late game which was the Ravens vs Texans match averaged 24.3 million viewers in United States and the early Chiefs vs Steelers averaged 24.1 million according to ratings reported by Nielsen. These football games officially became the most-streamed games ever in NFL history and are a testament to the power of streaming content.
Beyoncé's Halftime Show Boosts Viewership but Doesn't Surpass Traditional Broadcast Numbers
Viewership of the Ravens vs Texans matchup peaked during the half time show which many fans nicknamed the Beyoncé Bowl reaching over 27 million viewers per Nielsen reports. Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria stated “Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered" demonstrating positive response within the platform itself to the debut event. Netflix did not publicly released data from other areas and their streaming of the event.
Despite the record streaming success for Netflix this year , last year’s broadcast Christmas games which featured the Raiders vs Chiefs on CBS that had 29.2 million viewers the Eagles vs Giants on Fox that got 29 million and the 49ers vs Ravens on ESPN which had a viewership of 27.1 million each performed better during their respective games. Traditional broadcast TV had an overall higher average count last Christmas. The higher traditional numbers make it appear that despite big star power the streaming event is on par and not higher than prior broadcast events. The past and current years performances provide data for ongoing analysis of the effectiveness of streaming vs broadcast mediums for major sports events like the NFL .
NFL-Netflix Three Year Deal Commences with First Christmas Day Streaming Event with Future Planned Collaborations
Netflix partnered with the NFL in a three-year agreement totaling around $150 million which includes this first-ever streaming broadcast of Christmas Day games set to last through 2026 showing long term plans for streaming in coming years. The NFL's executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder added a statement saying "We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience” further emphasizing the commitment of the league to broadcasting through diverse mediums. The NFL sees long term potential streaming their games across various markets around the world. This long-term agreement will create further evaluation into future partnerships in years to come as viewership will be an integral factor into long term growth of professional sports.
Blowout Games Potentially Impact Overall Viewership Numbers for Christmas Day Games
The uneven and unbalanced scores during each of the games this past Christmas potentially contributed to lower viewership numbers than the past as it was reported that the Ravens beat the Texas 31 to 2 and also the Chiefs outscored the Steelers by 29 to 10 causing a very imbalanced gameplay. The uncompetitive nature of the games during each performance caused less interest for potential views compared to other closer game results which will also impact final average viewers in data analysis. Fans sometimes stop watching in an imbalanced game making higher scoring more preferable in creating ongoing excitement for viewer attention .
Netflix's Streaming Numbers Have Increased Since the First NFL Playoff Streaming Experience from 2023 on Peacock
The NFL has experimented with streaming previously with last year’s playoff game on Peacock achieving relatively good numbers. The Chiefs-Dolphins game shown January 15th became one of the most-streamed live events in history at the time. This shows previous examples of streamed sporting events for live content have significant engagement and will always be key for future development of content availability for viewers that increasingly rely on stream based consumption. Peacock as a broadcasting partner shows how diverse digital platforms have become in presenting content outside of the bounds of traditional television broadcast.
The Popularity Of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Boxing Match Showcase Netflix's Live Event Streaming Capacity
The previous live-streamed event for the Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul fight last month became Netflix's most streamed sporting event showing an average viewership count of around 108 million viewers around the world showing capabilities in streaming live sporting events for Netflix subscribers. That specific fight also reached a peak of around 65 million simultaneous streams across multiple locations with an average of around 38 million streams across various US states only further proving its large scope and reach across different platforms. The large viewing numbers prove that streaming is increasingly becoming an important element for major sporting events. Data analysis into viewership rates show an evolving relationship between digital viewership numbers and also broadcast ratings to more accurately capture audience responses.
An earlier version of story also made an incorrect statement on order of broadcast. The Chiefs-Steelers game started early.