On Thursday, Dec. 26, Netflix said its two Christmas Day NFL games– Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans– set a ratings record for NFL games on a streaming service. Citing the Nielsen rating service, Netflix said the pair of games averaged 24.2 million viewers, the biggest ever for an NFL event on a streaming platform.
The ratings also got a massive boost from pop superstar, Beyoncé, who performed during the second game’s halftime show. While that second game was a blowout on the scoreboard, the day’s audience peaked at 27 million viewers at halftime.
Ho-ho-whoa! 🎅 @netflix's first live NFL game on Christmas shook up the streaming world—and Nielsen data shows just how big the impact was. 🏈🚀
— Nielsen (@nielsen) December 27, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/NjPbFKmJth
Despite the monster afternoon, Netflix’s three-year partnership with the NFL still has a way to go to compete with a traditional broadcast. Christmas Day’s numbers did not eclipse the NFL’s 2023 showcase on CBS and Fox, which averaged over 29 million viewers.
In a statement, Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said, “Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered. We’re thankful for our partnership with the NFL.”
The NFL’s move to air Christmas games was a clear challenge to the NBA, which usually showcases its best teams on the holiday. After the Los Angeles Lakers’ Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James took a good-natured shot at the NFL, saying, “Merry Christmas to my family, I’m coming home. I love the NFL, I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day!’
And he could have a point, for now. The NBA’s five consecutive games on ABC and ESPN averaged 5.25 million viewers. Though it may not seem like a big number compared to the NFL’s afternoon, that 5 million and change is an 84% increase over last season. What’s more, James’ Lakers against Stephen Curry’s Warriors was the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years, with viewership up 84% vs. last year across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+. The NBA on Christmas Day averaged 5.25 million viewers per game in the U.S.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 26, 2024
The matchup between the @Lakers and @Warriors – the… pic.twitter.com/VjfjL8XQSU
While the NFL made it known it is here to stay on Christmas, as long as the NBA’s biggest stars keep shining, they’ll have to fight for every viewer. Whether that’s a losing battle remains to be seen.