Why Netflix is streaming NFL games on Christmas Day

(NEXSTAR) — It wasn’t too long ago that all you needed to watch an NFL game was a television set and an antenna. But, just like the uniforms, tackling styles, and kickoff rules have changed, so too have the means of watching professional football.

You’ll notice one such change on Christmas Day, when you try to watch the Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Houston Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens. With some exceptions, your only means of seeing either game will depend on whether you have access to a Netflix account sans nefarious password sharing. 

Netflix has upped its NFL-related offerings in recent years, including 2023’s “Quarterback” series and its “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma” series released last week. It has also tried its hand at carrying live events, including November’s fight between legend Mike Tyson and former YouTuber Jake Paul, or a reunion for its hit reality series “Love is Blind,” both of which were plagued by technical issues. 

To make the Christmas Day events even more enthralling, Mariah Carey is set to perform ahead of kick-off while Beyoncé is taking over halftime of the Ravens-Texans game.

So why is Netflix streaming what could be some of the most-watched games of the NFL season, despite its history? 

In the true spirit of sports and reality TV, it’s all about competition, according to James Gilmore, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Clemson University.

In a video released via The Associated Press, Gilmore explained that while Netflix has the greatest number of subscribers worldwide, they’ve been watching from the bench as Amazon gains viewers who are tuning into the platform’s “Thursday Night Football” games. 

“So, this is really a move where Netflix is trying to maintain its competitive edge in a widening playing field,” he added. 

The company may also be working to get ahead of a growing trend of cord-cutters, who have still largely had to rely on traditional means of television to catch sporting events.

“So, they're chasing where the audience is moving with this assumption that TV is now not going to be bound by satellite television and traditional cable television, but TV will become more about streaming technology in the years to come,” Gilmore said.

It’s too soon to tell if Netflix will be able to handle the “streaming version of a traffic jam” that it encountered with the Tyson/Paul fight and other live events. Earlier this month, Bela Bajaria, chief content officer of Netflix, said the company has learned from its past issues with live events.

Time will also tell if Netflix’s Christmas Day slate of football will be as popular as November’s fight, when the streaming platform reported a peak of 65 million viewers during its first live sporting event. 

On January 6, Netflix will carry WWE “Raw” live after the sports entertainment company announced earlier this month that it would depart its current home on the USA Network. 

All of this live programming will be an important part of Netflix’s strategy going forward, said JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth.

“Netflix is increasingly focused on sports entertainment, events, and shoulder content and we expect a bigger push into live sports over time, particularly as negotiating leverage shifts in Netflix’s direction,” he wrote in an analyst note last month.

If you don’t have Netflix but want to see the Christmas Day matchups, the games will also be carried on local television in each team’s respective markets, as well as on mobile with an NFL+ subscription in the NFL mobile app. The Chiefs will take on the Steelers at 1 p.m. ET followed by the Ravens taking on the Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.