Netflix broadcasts two NFL games on Christmas Day: a major milestone!

Netflix is ​​preparing to experience one of its most memorable days since its launch in 1998, broadcasting two NFL games for the first time.

“NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” will begin with a two-hour pregame broadcast at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh takes on Kansas City, followed by the Baltimore-Houston game.

The streaming giant signed a three-year deal in May to broadcast Christmas Day matches.

Netflix's 282.3 million subscribers in more than 190 countries will have the opportunity to follow these games, which constitutes a historic first for the global broadcast of an NFL game by a single broadcaster. Netflix will offer the meetings in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German.

The games will also be broadcast on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy requires that games broadcast on cable or exclusively streamed also be shown on a free television station in competing teams' markets. Additionally, games will be accessible on mobile devices in the United States for NFL+ subscribers.

The main motivation is financial. The league will receive $150 million from Netflix for these two games this season. This is part of the NFL's move toward streaming, having already handed Thursday night games to Amazon Prime Video and the “Sunday Ticket” to YouTube TV last year.

The NFL didn't want to give up on Christmas after seeing the impressive ratings. Last year, the three games broadcast captivated an average of 28.68 million viewers, with an average of 29.48 million for the afternoon game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Chiefs.

For this edition, the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans will play on Saturday, having the same recovery time as if they had played on Sunday then Thursday.

All four teams have already secured their place in the AFC playoffs, although the rankings have yet to be established.

Kansas City (14-1) can secure first place, synonymous with a weekend of rest and home field advantage during the playoffs, by beating the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore share the AFC North division lead with a 10-5 record, with Pittsburgh having the advantage thanks to a better conference record.

Houston (9-6) won the AFC South and is placed in fourth place.

Brandon Riegg, vice president of nonfiction and sports at Netflix, said the system was put through a stress test during the Nov. 14 Tyson-Paul fight, where internet providers also saw their service overloaded due to the influx of spectators. Peak viewership reached 65 million simultaneous streams, including 38 million in the United States. According to Down Detector, nearly 85,000 users reported streaming issues during the event.

Such success is possible, although unlikely. The largest audience for a streaming-only NFL game was 23 million on Peacock during the AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs last year. Nielsen will be responsible for measuring audiences for the Christmas Day matches, with the first statistics anticipated late Thursday afternoon.

Mariah Carey will open the festivities with a recorded performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” No information has been released regarding Taylor Swift's possible presence in Pittsburgh to support her companion, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift spent time in Kansas City after finishing her record-breaking “Eras Tour” two weeks ago.

The NFL is planning at least two games on December 25 in 2025 and 2026, with Netflix already announced for at least one broadcast per year. Amazon Prime Video will sport an evening game, with Christmas falling on a Thursday next year.

In addition, Netflix's global partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on January 6 with the transfer of “Monday Night Raw” to the streaming platform. The following Friday, Netflix secured U.S. streaming rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women's World Cups.