It's game time for livestreaming! The NFL is about to tackle a whole new global audience through its partnership with Netflix in a megadeal that is set to dramatically change the face of America's favorite sport.
In May, it was announced that Netflix had entered the NFL field by signing up to be the exclusive broadcaster of two marquee games on Christmas Day—the streamer's most consumed day. Netflix will stream the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as the Baltimore Ravens' showdown with the Houston Texans, to its subscribers across the U.S. and in more than 190 countries around the world.
Adding to the festive razzmatazz—and unquestionably broadening the appeal of the games—Beyoncé, arguably Houston's most-famous daughter, has been drafted in as the half-time performer during the Ravens-Texans matchup.
"There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts," Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, said earlier this year when the deal was announced. "We're so excited that the NFL's Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix."
Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, told Newsweek in a recent interview that, after the football organization worked with Netflix on a pair of hit docuseries, the Christmas deal is "a deepening of our partnership" with the platform.
"For the NFL, this is an incredible step with an incredible partner and platform in Netflix," he said, noting that last year, "all three Christmas games were among the top 10 regular season games overall for our season.
"Last year, we averaged close to 29 million viewers across [Christmas Day]," Schroeder added. "Clearly, our fans have spoken, and they're excited about having football on Christmas. This is an opportunity to build on that."
Schroeder said that all three of last year's December 25 games sit among the top 10 regular-season games overall for that season, showing an appetite for more holiday football. Thanksgiving football, he added, "just further elevated that perfect intersection of family, food, the holiday, and football. For us, Christmas very much became an opportunity to sort of build a very similar tradition."
The three-season deal opens up the market to a global audience following decades of remaining largely U.S.-centric due in large part to the regional limitations of domestic TV and cable networks. With the exception of Vietnam, Netflix subscribers in every country will now be able to tune in live for the games, with commentary available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French.
Netflix To Bring Huge New Audience to NFL
Over the decades, terrestrial and cable networks such as CBS, NBC, Fox, and ESPN have ruled the roost as go-to broadcasters for football—and they've shared slices of a very large pie. According to Statista, the average viewer count of a regular-season NFL game stood at 17.9 million in 2023.
Nielsen reported that more than 123 million viewers tuned in to watch February's Super Bowl LVIII, making it the most watched telecast of all time. The major event's enduring popularity has proved highly lucrative, with advertisers shelling out $7 million per 30 seconds during the broadcast, per Statista.
Netflix's entry into the NFL arena is set to boost audience figures in a whole new way. While the streamer has more than 280 million paid subscribers worldwide, this number increases exponentially when other considerations are factored in. Multiple people often watch TV together, and, depending on the tier of subscription, five different profiles can be set up on a single Netflix account.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have such a big and broad fan base that we do, but there's always ways we can engage deeper, engage differently and continue to build that fan base. We never rest on that," Schroeder told Newsweek. "We're always looking for ways to engage and grow our fans.
"There's certainly some trade-offs, but there's also ways that we see benefits. When you look at when we're on Amazon on a Thursday night or on Peacock on those digital screens, we see an audience that typically is eight to 10 years younger than watching on TV. So we know there are different fans that we can reach by being on the different platforms.
"We want to be very mindful that we're always trying to make it very accessible for our fans and they can find where our content is and watch, but we know, in this landscape that we have, they're on different platforms, and we want to be on those platforms in a way to engage with the fans on the screens that they are watching," Schroeder said.
"The popularity that our sport has, to put it on a platform like Netflix on their day, the single highest consumed day …? That's a pretty powerful combination," he added.
The platform's ability to deliver big numbers was demonstrated in the not-so-distant past through the much-hyped November 15 boxing bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul—an exhibition fight in everything but name. Netflix, which introduced advertising onto its platform two years ago, reported that the broadcast drew in 108 million viewers globally, making it the "most-streamed sporting event ever."
For perspective, five out of the last 10 Super Bowl games—a long-established ratings juggernaut—attracted an audience that totaled fewer than 105 million viewers. Explanations for why the fight broadcast was a bona fide hit are many, but it is certainly advantageous that casual viewers who may not have subscribed to a sports outlet already hold Netflix memberships for the entertainment content that helped make the streaming giant a dominant force in the market.
This is not Netflix's first venture into unscripted NFL content. Documentary series Quarterback became a hit soon after its 2023 release. This past summer saw the debut of Receiver, which focused on five of the league's best pass catchers on and off the field through their 2023 season. Both hit No. 1 in the U.S. upon release, with the former making the top 10 in 16 countries.
Netflix has leaned into the clear appetite for football content with the December 17 release of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, a docuseries on the New York Jets quarterback who has generated his own avalanche of headlines in recent years.
Such fly-on-the-wall sports shows will serve to complement Netflix's livestreams. One week before the Tyson-Paul bout, the platform released a three-part documentary series following the fighters' road to the boxing ring. Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson helped to build viewer anticipation through exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from both of the headliners' training camps and personal lives as they prepared for their heavyweight showdown.
Netflix Gambles on Live Sport
Netflix is making a big splash in live NFL streaming that could see it command ownership of a new holiday tradition. Unlike Thanksgiving Day games, which have been an annual fixture for over a century, Christmas matchups have been only an occasional part of the NFL schedule, with just 30 league games played on the holiday since 1971. There has been an unbroken run of Christmas games since 2021.
However, after forking over an estimated $75 million for each of the two football games it is set to stream this Christmas, Netflix is also taking a gamble that could make or break its reputation.
While the Tyson-Paul fight was a success in terms of numbers, it was hardly seamless. As tens of millions of viewers tuned in for the bout, many encountered issues with streaming quality, buffering, and access. A number of disgruntled customers subsequently aired their grievances online. Some have even gone as far as to file a class-action lawsuit.
The potential for uproar could be all the more widespread should the same problems befall an NFL livestream. Suffice to say, a mere apology would be lost in the din of protestation if the broadcast were to freeze in the middle of a game-making deep throw to the end zone, for example. Perhaps as reassurance, the games to be streamed on Netflix will be produced by CBS Sports, which boasts decades of top-of-the-market experience.
"We're very comfortable, we're very confident, we're very excited about all the work that Netflix is going to do [and] has done to make sure that we're in a very strong position to have a very successful Christmas Day experience on Netflix," said Schroeder.
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Netflix for comment.
Ryan Schreiber, founder and CEO of Streamline—an app that helps consumers find sports games, shows, and movies across platforms in an ever-fragmenting market—told Newsweek that issues with the fight may cause trepidation on Christmas Day.
"For Netflix, they have a stable business, but their efforts on live sports have seen mixed results, and if they have technical difficulties again like they did for the fight, I think that there's the potential for partners to be less inclined to give them live rights and real damage in terms of consumer trust," Schreiber said.
"The reality is that this is all just a starting point for where sports and streaming are going," Schreiber continued. "The NBA rights are shifting over to streaming in a meaningful way next year with Prime and Peacock exclusive events—and the leagues may be looking at this as a stepping stone to controlling their live rights with their own streaming platforms."
For Rob Rosenberg, former Showtime Networks general counsel and founder of New York-based Telluride Legal Strategies, the NFL is also taking a gamble. "Netflix is making the games available to all Netflix subscribers worldwide. They stand to gain new subscribers hoping to watch the games on Christmas Day," he said.
"Worst-case scenario, they don't attract a large number of viewers. There is a low probability of this happening given the numbers they delivered last month for the Paul vs. Tyson fight."
"Amazon reportedly delivers 10 to 15 million viewers for the NFL Thursday Night Football games it makes available via streaming," Rosenberg added of Netflix's rival streaming platform. "In contrast, the NFL enjoys a leadership position of offering the most-watched content.
"In 2023, live sports represented 93 of the top 100 telecasts for the year with NFL dominating those live events. When you are at the top, the only way to go is down. So if Netflix fails to deliver the games, or delivers them with a poor viewing experience, the NFL brand could potentially take a hit, and it could alienate some of their devoted fans," Rosenberg said.
Of course, should everything go well, the payoff stands to be huge for Netflix, which is constantly seeking to combat stagnation and market saturation. Adding NFL games to its arsenal will likely see a bump in subscribers from an untapped, sports-hungry market. And, unlike the networks that have carried football games in the past, Netflix has the advantage of an international audience.
The potential for viewers across the globe to be simultaneously sharing their reactions to an NFL game on social media—while taking in all of the action on the same platform—would be a marketer's dream. It also presents the possibility of Netflix reigning supreme in sports livestreaming, which is its last unconquered realm.
NFL's Global Ambitions
The NFL's deal with Netflix represents more than just a shrewd business move. Over the years, the organization has made concerted efforts to appeal to audiences outside of its U.S. home, where the market is already greatly saturated.
Back in 2007, the NFL launched its International Series in the U.K., with a game that saw the Miami Dolphins battle it out with eventual victors, the New York Giants. From then up until 2012, one regular-season NFL game was hosted at London's Wembley Stadium each season. The Jacksonville Jaguars went on to play one game each season at the storied venue between 2013 and 2016, before extending up to 2020—the only year that didn't see an NFL game in London due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The numbers expanded beyond one per season, with the NFL holding two International Series games at Wembley in 2013 and three in 2014 and 2015.
Since 2019, London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has hosted two NFL games each season, and will do so until 2029 as part of a decade-long deal. This past October saw three games played in London between two stadiums: New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.
The NFL has also expanded its horizons beyond the U.K. Through the 2024 season, 36 regular-season league games have been played in London, while four have taken place in Mexico City, and three in Germany. The first-ever NFL game to be played on the South American continent took place in Brazil this past September.
Peter O'Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, league events and international, told Newsweek that these overseas games are far from sideshows.
"Oftentimes, those games sell out in a matter of hours—and these aren't American expats buying tickets," O'Reilly said. "We have the data on it. It's 90 percent-plus locals, whether it's Germans or Brits or [Brazilians].
"I think the attraction is the uniqueness of the sport. It is a game that a lot of people first come into and experience via the kind of a cultural moment that is Super Bowl, as this thing that almost transcends sports at the end of our season."
There have even been long-running rumors of a London franchise launching under the NFL umbrella, although O'Reilly said any such venture is "not imminent."
"I think that there certainly would be the demand and the ability to have an NFL team or teams in London and in Germany based on fan passion and demands. We have great stadium partners there, governmental partners. So that's not the barrier," O'Reilly said. "I think the barrier is just the dynamics of our league, the competitive dynamics of travel on a regular basis for teams and players based over there."
While soccer is largely seen as the single sport that connects the rest of the world, O'Reilly said that the American football entertainment model has all of the goods to continue attaining a steady flow of new, season-long fans.
"There is so much entertainment and action around the game—and I think we hear that from people who compare that to going to soccer matches around the world," he added. "What we create around the pregame experience, the half-time experience and the energy around the game itself, it's just a little different. Not necessarily better or worse, but it provides this different experience and this connection and this unifying element."
While the NFL brings football to the rest of the world, the rest of the world has also been coming to the league. The NFL Heritage Program, which celebrates international diversity, noted that, in 2023, the league included 330 players, coaches, and owners who hailed from 70 countries and territories wearing their respective flags on helmets and sideline gear.
With players hailing from the likes of Australia, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Nigeria, the U.K., and Zimbabwe—to name but a few—international fans are now rooting not only for their favorite teams, but also athletes from their very own hometowns.
And there will be many more to come. In 2017, the NFL launched its International Player Pathway (IPP) program that seeks out top talent from overseas to provide them with the opportunity to develop their skills and eventually earn a spot on the league's roster. Early December saw the unveiling of the IPP Class of 2025, featuring 14 athletes from 13 nations.
These athletes are invited to train at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from January 2025, before showing their skills to NFL club scouts in March. Players who make the cut get the opportunity to sign as a free agent or be selected during the 2025 NFL Draft, should they qualify.
Among the IPP Class of 2025 is Jamaican track and field star Rojé Stona, who won gold at the Summer Olympics 2024 in the discus throw. His proposed move to the NFL is quite the big deal, said O'Reilly.
"That story is massive globally and certainly massive in Jamaica—the pride that emanates from an athlete who has made it in this one sport now looking to play in one of the most visible leagues in the world," O'Reilly added.
"I think there is something really powerful about local heroes, about someone who represents your country, your city, and has made it to that level," O'Reilly said. "One of the best players on the Philadelphia Eagles is an Australian former rugby player named Jordan Mailata. He is a hero in Australia. He transitioned from rugby to the NFL and now you've got a lot of young Australians who just look up to [him], which creates fandom and then also creates aspiration in terms of there is a pathway and the NFL is not just for the best athletes in America."
The program represents not just a diversity in nationalities, but also sporting backgrounds, with NFL hopefuls historically coming from the worlds of rugby, basketball, Gaelic football, and track and field. This, O'Reilly told Newsweek, is a reflection of the foundations already laid, and the ongoing efforts to take the sport further.
"We've been active internationally for a long time. I think what you've seen in recent years is really a much deeper commitment to becoming a true global sport property," O'Reilly said. "It's not as if our games aren't distributed around the world. On broadcast, we're in 195 countries and have 80 media partners and great growing engagement.
"But we're in a mode of really ramping up our commitment to a year-round presence in priority markets around the world. That includes playing games—regular season games, not exhibition games—around the world on a much more regular basis each year and opening offices around the world."
O'Reilly said that it is "absolutely the goal" to turn American football into the kind of product that will unite sports fans globally, not unlike the Olympics or soccer World Cup.
"I think the Super Bowl is in that position as this annual global moment. Obviously, it's unique, but we've got people around the world at all hours coming together," he said. "It's this confluence of sport and culture and advertising and entertainment.
"With the way that platforms like Netflix and others are shrinking the world in terms of kind of unifying content that is at your fingertips, it's absolutely a moment in time," O'Reilly added. "We wouldn't have expected that even a handful of years ago, but here we are."
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