Netflix’s $150 million gamble with the NFL paid off in a big way on Christmas Day.
On Dec. 25, the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Steelers in Pittsburgh while the Houston Texans battled Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Though there were only two games on Christmas Day, Netflix paid a premium for the rights to showcase the games, reportedly paying the NFL $150 million for each matchup, the first of a three-year deal.
And while that might be an eye-watering amount of money to pay for one set of games, it appears as if Netflix’s gamble paid off handsomely for the streaming giant. On Thursday, official streaming numbers for the two games were released, painting a picture of just how incredible the day was for both Netflix and the NFL.
It was reported that 65 million people tuned in to watch Netflix’s coverage of the two games, per Nielsen. Additionally, both games were the most streamed NFL games in US history, with the Ravens-Texans and Chiefs-Steelers matchups garnering 24.3 million and 24.1 million viewers, respectively.
Also, over 27 million people tuned in to watch Beyonce’s halftime show during the Ravens-Texans game. The Ravens-Texans matchup also made history in that 5.1 million people in the 18-34 age range tuned into the game, the most since data began to be tracked in 2011.
Netflix’s accomplishment also blew out of the water NBC’s coverage of the AFC Wild Card last season between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. That particular game reached 27.6 million people, making it one of the most-streamed event in US history and also one of the largest events in the history of the internet.
However, it had an average net viewership of approximately 23.0 million viewers, less than the Netflix number.
Both Netflix and the NFL were quick to release statements on the historic figures the Chiefs-Steelers and Texans-Ravens made. Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, explained how the streaming giant making new records was the best news it could have received over the holidays.
Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered, Bajaria’s statement read Thursday, per The Wrap. Were thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and lets please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.
Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s vice president of media distribution, explained just how wide the games were spread, especially considering how vast Netflix’s reach is. Were thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience, Schroeder’s statement began.
Fans in all 50 states and over 200 countries around the world watched some of the leagues brightest stars along with a dazzling performance by Beyoncé in a historic day for the NFL.
Despite how the successful Netflix and the NFL’s presentation was on Christmas Day, the coverage did stumble out of the gate. There were various technical difficulties Netflix had to endure, including having the wrong amount of timeouts on the score bug, viewers unable to stream the game, and picture quality issues, among others.
Still, it’s clear those technical issues did not deter fans from watching, as evidenced by the records set on Christmas Day.
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