The NFL’s Christmas Day double-header games set the record for the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history. This Christmas day, NFL broadcasts on Netflix—including pre-game shows and Beyoncé’s performance—reached 65M viewers across almost all of the 190 countries using Netflix. And despite the paywall, it was the most-watched Christmas Day game ever among 18-34-year-olds, attracting over 5M viewers in the U.S. total. However, like many major streaming platforms, Netflix needs to enhance its technical infrastructure to ensure smooth streaming of live events (especially after the glitches viewers faced during the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight). Despite Netflix once claiming it wasn’t interested in live sports, the promising response to it’s first live NFL game could encourage other sports leagues to explore partnerships going forward. (Axios)
📊 YPulse data: 43% of 13-39-year-olds follow the NFL
