As 65 million United States viewers tuned into Netflix for some portion of the Christmas Day NFL doubleheader, they easily defeated the NBA in total household viewership.
NFL, Beyoncé, and Mariah Carey Easily Destroy NBA With Record Numbers on Christmas Day
United States sports fans turned out in record numbers to watch the two games on Netflix on Christmas Day. They were also treated to musical performances by Beyoncé and Mariah Carey. The Netflix numbers, as released by NFL Media, easily trounced those of the NBA.
According to a press release issued by NFL Communications, Christmas was a record-breaking day for Netflix and the NFL, with an unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million U.S. viewers according to Nielsen. The NBA’s five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen, via the Associated Press.
The Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans (24.3 million average minute audience) and Kansas City Chiefs-Pittsburgh Steelers (24.1 million average minute audience) are the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, according to Nielsen. U.S. viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked with the Beyoncé bowl, with over 27 million viewers according to Nielsen.
AMA viewership figures are based on Fast National Live + Same Day data from Nielsen which includes out-of-home viewing and CBS local market viewing, along with mobile and web data from Netflix and NFL+ mobile viewing from the NFL.
Global ratings and additional U.S. insights will be released on Dec. 31, providing a comprehensive look at Netflix’s “NFL Christmas Gameday” performance worldwide.
Was super impressed with the production. Great start for NFL on Netflix 👏
— Kyle (@ImKyleMangum) December 26, 2024
“Was super impressed with the production,” one fan said. “Great start for NFL on Netflix.”
The second game of the Netflix Christmas doubleheader, Ravens-Texans, was the most-watched Christmas Day game on record among A18-34 with 5.1 million U.S. viewers (based on Nielsen records dating back to 2001).
Netflix’s Christmas Day games dominated the global social conversation. #BeyonceBowl rocketed to the No. 1 worldwide trend on X (formerly known as Twitter) immediately as her performance kicked off — replacing #Christmas itself.
Following her performance, Netflix occupied 10 of the top 12 trending topics on X in the U.S. #NFLonNetflix also trended around the world, reaching a peak of No. 2 in Australia, No. 3 in the United Kingdom and Germany, No. 5 in Brazil and France, and No. 6 in the U.S.
CBS Sports produced the games, with NFL Media producing the pre-, post-, and studio halftime programming. EverWonder Studio executive produced “NFL Christmas Gameday.”
“Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” said Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer. “We’re thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and let’s please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”
Destroyed the NBA's highest rated game, which topped at a little over 8 million.
— texasbruin67 (@texasbruin67) December 26, 2024
“Destroyed the NBA’s highest rated game, which topped [out] at a little over 8 million,” another fan said.
This year marked the first of a three-season partnership with Netflix to broadcast NFL games on Christmas Day.
“We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution. “Fans in all 50 states and over 200 countries around the world watched some of the league’s brightest stars along with a dazzling performance by Beyoncé in a historic day for the NFL.”