Netflix has an early Christmas gift for football fans — but it won’t fit under the tree. On Dec. 25, 2024, Netflix for the first time will stream two Christmas Day NFL games: the Super Bowl LVII-winning Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans. Netflix has a three year deal with the NFL and will stream at least one Christmas Day game in 2025 and 2026.
Netflix has been playing ball with the NFL for a couple of years now, beginning with the hit series Quarterback in 2023. This summer, Receiver is set to premiere on Netflix and will follow five of the NFL’s best pass catchers through their 2023 season on and off the field: Davante Adams (Raiders), Justin Jefferson (Vikings), George Kittle and Deebo Samuel (of the 49ers), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions).
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more,” says Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
“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,” says 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 for NFL fans.”
The NFL launched Yuletide games in 1971 before bringing them back on a semi-regular basis in 1989. Since 2020, they’ve been a holiday staple with last year’s three Christmas games ranking among the top 25 most-viewed TV programs of 2023; the Raiders vs. Chiefs match (yes, Taylor Swift and Santa Claus attended) drew the highest Christmas Day viewership since 1988. In total, the NFL has staged 30 Christmas contests and in keeping with the NFL’s long-standing holiday tradition, the Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing team cities, and be available on US mobile devices with NFL+.
