PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 25: A detailed view of a Netflix Christmas Gameday sign during the regular … [+]
Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday games and Beyoncé’s halftime show helped generate record numbers in streaming viewership, the streamer said Thursday.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Netflix said Christmas Gameday on Wednesday was a “record-breaking day” for the streaming service and the NFL, which resulted in an “unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million U.S. viewers according to Nielsen.”
Christmas Gameday featured the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans vs. the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs soundly defeated the Steelers 29 to 10, while the Ravens trounced the Texans 31-2.
Netflix said the games each averaged over 24 million viewers. Per the streamer, Nielsen measured a 24.1 million average minute audience for the Chiefs-Steelers game and a 24.3 million AMA for the Ravens-Texans matchup.
Citing Nielsen, Netflix said the contests were the “most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history.”
“We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution in the Netflix press release. “Fans in all 50 states and over 200 countries around the world watched some of the league’s brightest stars along with a dazzling performance by Beyoncé in a historic day for the NFL.”
The matchups on Netflix kicked off the first of three annual Christmas Gameday events on Netflix. In May, the NFL signed a three-year deal with Netflix to stream two games annually on Christmas Gameday for $150 million per year.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 25: Beyoncé performs at halftime during an NFL football game between the … [+]
Beyoncé Brings In Big Viewership For Her Halftime Show
While Netflix’s Christmas Gameday matchups each averaged more than 24 million viewers, the viewership peaked when Beyoncé performed the halftime show—dubbed the Beyoncé Bowl—which drew in 27 million viewers during the Raven-Texans game.
Singer Mariah Carey also appeared during Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday pre-game show.
“Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” said, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “We’re thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and let’s please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”
Netflix also noted how #BeyonceBowl was big on social media, which zoomed to No. 1 worldwide trending spot on X once Beyoncé started her performance.
Netflix noted that “global ratings and additional U.S. insights” will be released on Dec. 31, which will highlight the streamer’s NFL Christmas Gameday performance across the globe.
