Starting this year, Netflix will broadcast NFL games on Christmas Day
Catch NFL action on Netflix this Christmas! The streaming giant announces plans to air NFL games on December 25th starting this year, with a three-season agreement in place. Dive into the excitement of live football on your favorite platform.
Netflix announced on Wednesday its plans to level up its streaming game by airing two National Football League (NFL) matches on Christmas Day this year. This bold move signals the streaming giant’s intensified efforts to bring more live content to its platform.
Under an exclusive three-season agreement, Netflix will not only stream at least one NFL game on Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026 but also mark its debut in showcasing live football. This groundbreaking deal signifies Netflix’s first foray into licensing the rights to one of the world’s most prominent sports leagues.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s content chief, emphasized the unparalleled appeal of NFL football, stating, “there are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts.” However, the financial specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed by the company. Bloomberg News, the first to report on the negotiations, estimated Netflix’s payment to be less than $150 million per game.
The NFL reigns as the most-watched sports league in the U.S., with this year’s Super Bowl drawing a staggering 123.7 million U.S. viewers. Analysts, like Ross Benes from Emarketer, view Netflix’s move as a significant shift, noting, “Netflix is no longer just experimenting with sports, they’re buying in.”
In recent months, Netflix has strategically ventured into live events and sports to bolster user retention and expand its advertising business amidst a saturated U.S. market. Notably, earlier this year, Netflix secured a rights deal exceeding $5 billion to exclusively stream World Wrestling Entertainment’s RAW. Additionally, the platform live-streamed a tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in March.
Despite previously suggesting a reluctance to compete for sports rights due to substantial investments, Netflix’s leap into NFL streaming represents a paradigm shift. Competitors like Amazon Prime, which holds rights to Thursday Night Football, and Apple TV+, hosting Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer, have capitalized on big sports leagues in recent years.
Ross Benes aptly summarizes the significance of this move, stating, “2024 will be looked at as the year the sports pendulum began to favor streaming.”
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