Viewers on Wednesday will witness a “new chapter” in the NFL and Netflix’s “sports-media ambitions” with the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans Christmas Day games, according to Richard Deitsch of THE ATHLETIC. Netflix being “any kind of player for upcoming live sports rights” will “change the landscape of sports consumption and cause consternation for the traditional linear powers given its financial might.” Netflix has “moved from a pure subscriber company to one that’s now in the advertising business,” so it wants to “scale ad consumption and revenue, and there are few better content plays to sell ads against than NFL games.” Netflix has “sold out of all available in-game inventory for the two live games.” The Christmas Day games will also give some “decent data too.” Unlike the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing bout last month, where the viewership data came from Netflix’s first-party streaming data, Nielsen “will be part of the measuring process for these games.” How it will look for viewers is still “probably the biggest question hovering over the games,” given viewers were “plagued by frequent bouts of buffering and freezing for the Paul-Tyson boxing event.” One difference between the Paul-Tyson fight is that Netflix has “outsourced production of the games to CBS,” while NFL Media has been “charged with the pre-, halftime and postgame shows” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/20).
MANY OPPORTUNITIES: NEWSWEEK’s Ryan Smith noted the three-season deal between the NFL and Netflix “opens up the market to a global audience following decades of remaining largely U.S.-centric due in large part to the regional limitations of domestic TV and cable networks.” With the exception of Vietnam, Netflix subscribers in every country will “now be able to tune in live for the games.” Netflix’s entry into the NFL arena is “set to boost audience figures in a whole new way.” While the streamer has more than 280 million paid subscribers worldwide, this number “increases exponentially when other considerations are factored in.” Multiple people often watch TV together, and, depending on the tier of subscription, five different profiles “can be set up on a single Netflix account.” If everything goes well, the payoff “stands to be huge for Netflix,” which is constantly “seeking to combat stagnation and market saturation.” Adding NFL games to its arsenal will “likely see a bump in subscribers from an untapped, sports-hungry market.” Unlike the networks that have carried football games in the past, Netflix has the “advantage of an international audience.” It also “presents the possibility of Netflix reigning supreme in sports livestreaming, which is its last unconquered realm” (NEWSWEEK, 12/18). In K.C., Blair Kerhoff wrote there are “mass marketing opportunities for the NFL on the world’s largest streaming service with some 282 million subscribers in 190 nations” (K.C. STAR, 12/21).
DON’T WANT NO PROBLEMS: The AP’s Joe Reedy wrote under the header, “All Netflix wants for Christmas is no streaming problems for its first NFL games.” Netflix VP/Nonfiction Series & Sports Brandon Riegg has had to “answer plenty of questions about the streaming giant’s readiness for the influx of viewers on what could be its biggest day ever,” especially after “streaming problems” during the Tyson-Paul fight. The games will air on the CBS affiliates in K.C., Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston to accompany the Netflix streams. The “heaviest demand will likely come” around 6pm ET, which would be halftime of the Ravens-Texans game when Beyoncé will be performing (AP, 12/20).
SO MUCH AT STAKE: NPR.org’s Juliana Kim wrote a “lot is at stake for Netflix to get livestreams right and glitch-free.” The platform is “already set to air NFL games on Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026″ and will also “begin broadcasting WWE Raw, SmackDown and other WWE programming weekly starting Jan. 6.” On Friday, Netflix secured a deal with FIFA to “gain exclusive streaming rights” to the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031 (NPR.org, 12/21).
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Austin Karp: How did the First Round of the CFP perform? The PGA of America taps a new leader, NASCAR is non-committal about the future of Chicago street racing and JuJu Watkins vs. Paige Bueckers lives up to the hype.
Shareable URL copied to clipboard!
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/12/23/netflix-nfl-christmas-games
Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/12/23/netflix-nfl-christmas-games
Register for a free SBJ account to unlock one extra article per month.
© 2024 Leaders Group. All rights reserved.The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Leaders Group.
© 2024 Leaders Group. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Leaders Group.
Already a subscriber? Click below to sign in.
Upgrade your subscription to get all the news you need:
Adding SBJ weekly content will give you the comprehensive view of sports business with:
Already a subscriber? Click below to sign in.
Upgrade your subscription to get all the news you need:
Adding SBJ daily content will give you the comprehensive view of sports business with:
