Netflix’s inaugural NFL Christmas Day doubleheader proved to be a resounding success on a global scale. The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Houston Texans with a score of 31-2, drawing an average audience of 31.3 million viewers, while the Kansas City Chiefs secured a 29-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, capturing an average viewership of 30 million worldwide. These statistics were disclosed by Netflix’s first-party data on Tuesday. Notably, both games set a new record as the most-streamed NFL matches in U.S. history.
Subsequent data adjustments revealed that the Ravens-Texans matchup garnered an updated average viewership of 27.2 million, with the Chiefs-Steelers game closely following at 25.8 million, as reported by Nielsen and Netflix. These figures eclipsed the previous record of 23 million viewers, set by last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and the Chiefs on Peacock. Additionally, Nielsen reported a total of 65 million U.S. viewers who tuned in for at least one minute of either game, making this Christmas Day the most-viewed in Netflix’s history.
Viewers from 218 countries and territories tuned in to watch at least one of the games, reflecting the widespread global appeal of the NFL’s Christmas Day offerings. The successful viewership numbers marked a significant rebound for Netflix following technical issues experienced during the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on November 14. Notably, the only discernible technical hiccup during the NFL games was related to the stream not starting at live action but rather at the beginning whenever viewers joined.
Netflix’s Vice President of Nonfiction Series and Sports, Brandon Riegg, expressed satisfaction with the overall outcome, stating, “In terms of the big picture, it went as well as we could have hoped. Given the weight of expectations, especially coming off a fight, I think we acquitted ourselves as well as we could have hoped. I’m glad that the narrative changed, and there was at least an acknowledgment that we didn’t run into any of those issues that plagued us before.”
The global viewership data painted a positive picture for both games, with the Chiefs-Steelers matchup ranking in the daily top 10 in 72 countries, including high viewership in Canada, Germany, Ireland, and Britain. Similarly, the Ravens-Texans contest made its mark in the daily top 10 in 62 countries, with notable viewership peaks in Australia, Austria, and Mexico.
The cumulative viewership figures encompassed audiences on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+, and those who tuned in via CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Houston. While the NFL’s viewership on Christmas Day experienced a slight decline compared to the previous season, the transition from broadcast to streaming did not result in the typical significant drop in numbers.
Last season’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers, with the Las Vegas Raiders-Kansas City Chiefs game leading the
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