Netflix Strikes Three-Year Deal with NFL for Exclusive Christmas Day Games
Netflix has inked a significant three-year agreement with the NFL to exclusively broadcast Christmas Day games, starting this season. Both of the NFL’s December 25 matchups will air solely on Netflix in 2024, and the streaming giant will continue to carry at least one game each in 2025 and 2026. The confirmation follows a report from Bloomberg earlier today, which hinted at the impending deal.
According to Bloomberg, the price tag for this privilege hovers just below $150 million. This marks Netflix’s first foray into live sports at this scale, and notably, it’s also the first time football will be featured on the platform. However, Netflix has been testing the waters in recent years with sports-related content, such as the “Quarterback” series.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, commented, “Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live content—tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more. There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re thrilled that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be exclusively on Netflix.”
Hans Schroeder, NFL’s Executive Vice President of Media Distribution, added, “We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix and bring live games to fans around the world. The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition, and teaming up with Netflix—a service whose biggest day of the year typically aligns with this holiday—is the perfect combination to globally expand this event for NFL fans.”
In addition to the Christmas Day games, the NFL has previously announced two other streaming exclusives for this year: a Week 1 game on Peacock and a wildcard playoff game set to air on Amazon.