Netflix Lands Exclusive Rights To Christmas NFL Games

The NFL continues to expand its reach by adding additional broadcast partners into the fold. Going beyond their traditional cable partners, the NFL is rapidly expanding to streaming services as well. Recently, Netflix announced they have the exclusive rights to Christmas NFL games. This marks the beginning of a brand-new era for content providers and sports fans wanting to watch their favorite teams.

The deal is the latest in a line of content restructuring moves made by Netflix to attract newer audiences to their service. Netflix has already begun streaming live content, with 2 comedy specials by Chris Rock and Katt WIlliams being the firsts. The next big announcement came by way of pro wrestling powerhouse WWE moving their Monday Night RAW show to Netflix starting next year. Jake Paul and Mike Tyson’s megafight will also air live on Netflix this summer.

As part of the new deal, Netflix will stream two NFL games on Christmas Day in 2024, 2025, and 2026 initially. This partnership with the NFL is Netflix’s first major commitment to live sports and is almost assuredly a move designed to compete with Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount Plus’ live sports offerings. As for the NFL, they have been looking to bring their content to as many partners as possible. They’ve expanded from their traditional partners in Fox, CBS, and ESPN, to include more streaming networks.

Amazon Prime Video has secured a deal with the NFL for exclusive streaming rights to Thursday Night Football for 10 years starting in 2023. The deal, worth about $1 billion a year to the NFL, is the first time a series of games will be shown on a streaming service. In addition to Amazon Prime Video, the NFL has also expanded to Peacock, to show live games. Peacock was the first streaming service to show a Wildcard playoff game.

This should pay off well for Netflix, as last year’s Christmas Day games in the NFL averaged about 28 million viewers. The biggest question that remains is whether or not this will be enough to entice casual sports fans to maintain a Netflix subscription beyond Christmas Day.