Netflix has officially announced that the NFL’s two Christmas Day games will stream exclusively on its platform in 2024. Additionally, at least one game will air on the streamer on Christmas 2025 and 2026 as well.
The deal comes as Netflix continues to embrace live programming and sports. Earlier this year, Netflix acquired the streaming rights to WWE’s Monday Night Raw, and the platform will also be the home of the upcoming boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a statement. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
Netflix first indicated its newfound focus on live events in 2023, when Chris Rock streamed his special Selective Outrage as he was taping it. Recently, the streamer has continued the trend with specials like The Roast of Tom Brady and John Mulaney’s limited series Everybody’s in L.A, which both aired live in conjunction with the Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
The upcoming football games are not the first time Netflix has collaborated with the National Football League. The two mega-organizations partnered for the documentary series Quarterback in 2023 and are gearing up for its sequel show, Receiver. However, the deal does mark the first time Netflix will host a live sports game.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” stated Hans Schroeder, NFL Executive Vice President of Media Distribution. “The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition, and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans.”
Though it hasn’t yet been announced which teams will face off for the Christmas Day games, the full NFL schedule drops later today (May 15th) at 8:00 p.m. ET.