Netflix to Air NFL Christmas Day Games for Next Three Years

By partnering with one of the most recognizable brands in modern history, the NFL will garner further international distribution to a massive audience, attracting new fans of younger and more diverse demographics.

Grant Leonard - News Editor at Covers.com
Grant Leonard • News Editor
May 15, 2024 • 16:55 ET • 4 min read
Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens NFL
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

It's only May and the NFL is already wrapping some Christmas presents.

The league announced today that football fans will tune into not CBS, not Fox, but Netflix on Christmas Day to watch two marquee 2024 matchups. 

The Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing team cities, and be available on US mobile devices with NFL+. The league is set to announce its full 2024 schedule later this evening. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution. “The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally to NFL fans.”

The Raiders-Chiefs game on Christmas Day 2023 drew the highest Christmas Day viewership since 1988, and all three of the games on last year’s Yuletide ranked among the Top 25 most-viewed TV programs of 2023. 

“There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.” 

Price Of Admission

According to Awful Announcing, you’ll need the following to watch every single game:

  • 6 months of YouTube TV

  • 5 months of Prime Video

  • 1 month of Peacock

  • 1 month of ESPN+

  • 1 month of Netlifx

Netflix has been posturing for this type of partnership with the NFL for a few years now. The hit series 'Quarterback' in 2023 was a major success, spurring the development of 'Receiver', which is set to premiere on Netflix this summer

The 'Roast of Tom Brady' was also widely viewed, so buying the rights to a few NFL games seems like a natural progression for the streaming giant. 

By partnering with one of the most recognizable brands in modern history, the NFL will garner further international distribution to a massive audience, attracting new fans of younger and more diverse demographics.

While the fracturing of the NFL’s viewing options may leave some fans disgruntled, league officials are definitely not upset with those key value propositions validating the strength of this deal. 

Pages related to this topic

Grant Leonard - Covers
News Editor

Grant is a former junior B ice hockey player, and a current believer that the Washington Capitals’ aging core still has another Cup run left in the tank. Grant’s owned and operated his own marketing agency since shortly after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2014. He pursued the profession because he figured it’d be a great way to get paid to do something he loves to do, write. After years of hammering puck lines and leading his fantasy football league as Commissioner, Grant started writing about sports betting and the casino gaming industry in 2021 and hasn’t looked back.

Popular Content

Legal Canadian sports betting

Best Canadian betting sites Ontario sports betting