Netflix to Enlist CBS Sports to Produce Christmas NFL Games

The world’s biggest streamer will work with legacy NFL broadcaster CBS Sports for its much-anticipated Christmas Day games.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Netflix’s will produce live NFL streams with the help of CBS. The news comes nearly three months after the streamer announced that it came to an agreement with the league to carry the games.

The one-year deal is only to produce the games themselves, not offer on-air talent. That said, Netflix could still choose to reach out to CBS talent on its own, but WSJ reports the company could go in a different direction. In return for the camera and production crews, CBS will receive a production fee for both games as well as promotional spots in both streams for its own programming.

During the famed schedule release day on May 15, the league announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and the Houston Texans will welcome the Baltimore Ravens. Because Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, this coming holiday will mark the third time since 1946 that the NFL will have games on that day of the week.

While there was much hype about Netflix’s latest move into live sports, there were reports that the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company had yet to decide who would produce its package of games. The only viable options were Fox or CBS since NBC already handles production for Thursday Night Football for Amazon.

A major hurdle for Netflix, however, is that it can’t sell in-game space for advertisers. Previous media reports mentioned that the company had asked for $800,000 per spot. Compared to Amazon’s Black Friday NFL stream, where consumers are already on the hunt to buy Christmas gifts on the day after Thanksgiving, there’s minimal consumer activity on Christmas Day itself, which could make those ad buys relatively ineffective.

There are also concerns about the live stream itself. Netflix’s infrastructure supports multiplexing rather than livestreaming at scale, so many would-be advertisers aren’t entirely convinced about feed reliability. Those brands would fear a situation like the April 2023 tech meltdown for its Love is Blind live reunion show.

The NFL, of course, is hoping that Netflix and CBS won’t serve up a lump of coal on Christmas Day. In giving Netflix two games on the holiday, the league hopes to reap the benefits of the massive out-of-home ratings. As Sportico reported back in January, Nielsen will expand its out-of-home measurement to include all 210 designated media markets; significantly more than the 44 it has measured for some time. Although the impact won’t be detectable until after Super Bowl LIX airs on Fox next February, every sport on TV is expected to see a ratings lift starting in 2025.

With assistance from Anthony Crupi.