Netflix will stream NFL Christmas Day games

Two entertainment powerhouses are joining forces: The National Football League announced Wednesday that Netflix will stream the league’s two marquee games on Christmas Day, starting this year.

Netflix will stream at least one holiday game in 2025 and 2026 as part of a three-year deal.

“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.”

NFL regular-season games had almost 18 million viewers last year, according to ESPN.

The Christmas Day games will stream on Netflix and air on broadcast TV in the competing teams’ cities. They can also be watched through the NFL+ mobile app.

“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,” NFL Executive Vice President of Media Distribution Hans Schroeder said in a statement. “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 even globally for NFL fans.”

The NFL first began Christmas Day games in 1979. They became an annual event in 2020. Last year’s three Christmas Day games ranked in the top 25 most viewed TV programs of the year, the NFL said.