Netflix’s risky decision to broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day paid off, as over 65 million viewers tuned in to watch both games, breaking new records.
The Houston Texans faced Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on December 25, while the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though there were only two games on Christmas Day, Netflix reportedly paid the NFL $150 million for each clash, the first in a three-year deal, to get the rights to broadcast the games.
Even while it might be a staggering sum of money to spend on a single set of games, it seems like Netflix’s risk paid out handsomely for the streaming behemoth. The NFL and Netflix had an amazing day, as evidenced by the official streaming figures for the two games that were made public on Thursday.
According to Nielsen, 65 million viewers watched Netflix’s broadcast of the two games. Additionally, with 24.3 million and 24.1 million viewers, respectively, the Ravens-Texans and Chiefs-Steelers games were the most streamed NFL games in US history. Additionally, Beyonce’s halftime performance during the Ravens vs. Texans game drew over 27 million viewers. Additionally, 5.1 million individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 watched the Ravens vs. Texans game, the most since statistics started being kept in 2011.
Additionally, Netflix’s achievement much outperformed NBC’s coverage of the Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs AFC Wild Card game last season. With a viewership of 27.6 million, that game was one of the most streamed events in US history and one of the biggest in internet history.