Number of viewers of the NFL Christmas Gameday Special matches on Netflix worldwide in May 2026, by country
On December 25, 2024, Netflix broadcast its first-ever live NFL games — two Christmas Day matchups as part of a broader three-year NFL deal announced in May 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers (29-10) in the first game, and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans (31-2) in the second, with a half-time show by Beyonce between the two games. Netflix reported approximately 24 million peak concurrent global viewers — the largest live sports streaming audience ever recorded on any platform at that point in time, according to Netflix and the NFL.
The viewership figure is a peak concurrent number — not a total unique viewer count. Peak concurrent viewership measures the maximum number of simultaneous streams at any single moment during the broadcast day, which typically occurs during the most compelling game moments (end of close quarters, big plays, score changes). Total unique viewers across the full day were higher — BusinessStats Research estimates approximately 30-35 million unique devices streamed at least a portion of the Christmas games. The Netflix subscriber base context is in our Netflix subscriptions by region analysis.
NFL Christmas Netflix Viewership by Country — Peak Concurrent Viewers (December 25, 2024)
The table below presents BusinessStats Research estimates of peak concurrent NFL Christmas game viewership on Netflix by country. The US total is derived from Netflix's confirmed global figure (~24M) and NFL audience composition data. All individual country estimates carry 20-30% margin of error. Netflix does not publish official country-level sports viewership data.
| # | Country | Peak Concurrent Viewers | Share of Global Total | Netflix Subs (est.) | NFL Fan Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸United States | ~21.2M | ~88.3% | ~80M | Very High (domestic) |
| 2 | 🇨🇦Canada | ~680K | ~2.8% | ~8M | High — CFL overlap |
| 3 | 🇬🇧United Kingdom | ~480K | ~2.0% | ~16M | Growing — NFL London |
| 4 | 🇲🇽Mexico | ~320K | ~1.3% | ~8M | High — NFL Mexico City |
| 5 | 🇩🇪Germany | ~180K | ~0.75% | ~8M | Growing — NFL Frankfurt |
| 6 | 🇦🇺Australia | ~140K | ~0.58% | ~7M | Moderate |
| 7 | 🇧🇷Brazil | ~120K | ~0.50% | ~20M | Low-Moderate |
| 8 | 🇫🇷France | ~95K | ~0.40% | ~10M | Low-Moderate |
| 9 | 🇯🇵Japan | ~88K | ~0.37% | ~7M | Moderate |
| 10 | 🇳🇱Netherlands | ~55K | ~0.23% | ~4M | Low-Moderate |
| 11 | 🇮🇪Ireland | ~48K | ~0.20% | ~2M | Moderate — NFL London |
| 12 | 🇸🇪Sweden | ~42K | ~0.18% | ~4M | Low |
| 13 | 🇦🇷Argentina | ~38K | ~0.16% | ~5M | Low |
| 14 | 🇳🇿New Zealand | ~32K | ~0.13% | ~2M | Low |
| 15 | 🇰🇷South Korea | ~28K | ~0.12% | ~4M | Low |
| — | All other countries | ~400K | ~1.7% | ~150M+ | Very Low |
| Global Total | ~24M | 100% | ~260M+ | Netflix confirmed |
United States: ~21.2 Million — Approximately 88% of Global NFL Christmas Netflix Viewership
The United States accounts for approximately 88% of total global NFL Christmas viewership on Netflix — a concentration that reflects the NFL's status as predominantly a domestic US sport. Of Netflix's approximately 260-300 million global paid subscribers, approximately 80 million are in the US — meaning the US represents approximately 28-31% of Netflix's subscriber base but approximately 88% of NFL Christmas viewership. US subscribers tuned in at approximately 26.5% engagement (21.2M of 80M US subscribers), compared to less than 2% engagement rate in most international markets.
The Christmas Day timing amplified US viewership beyond normal NFL streaming patterns. Christmas is a peak NFL viewing day domestically — families gather, the game is traditional background and foreground entertainment. Netflix's Christmas positioning competes directly with CBS and Fox's traditional Christmas NFL broadcast slot, which has historically drawn 20-28 million linear TV viewers per game. The fact that Netflix's streaming numbers approached traditional TV scale for Christmas NFL is a landmark — demonstrating streaming can compete for live sports at scale. The Netflix subscriber data driving this is in our Netflix subscriptions by region analysis.
International Viewership: ~2.8 Million — Canada, UK, Mexico, and Germany Lead Outside the US
Outside the United States, approximately 2.8 million peak concurrent viewers watched the NFL Christmas games on Netflix globally. Canada leads international viewership at approximately 680,000 — driven by strong NFL fandom, shared TV culture with the US, and a large Netflix subscriber base relative to population. The United Kingdom follows at approximately 480,000, reflecting the NFL's sustained UK expansion through the NFL London games which have grown the British fanbase significantly since 2007. Mexico at approximately 320,000 reflects Netflix's strong Mexican subscriber base and the NFL's Mexico City game strategy.
Germany's approximately 180,000 viewers reflects the growing NFL Germany fan base following the introduction of NFL Frankfurt games in 2023. Australia contributes approximately 140,000 — a time-zone-disadvantaged market where Christmas morning US kick-offs create significant access barriers for casual viewers. Brazil's 120,000 reflects Netflix's large Brazilian subscriber base but low NFL penetration compared to soccer. The ARPU context for these international markets is in our Netflix quarterly ARPU analysis.
Game 1 vs Game 2: Ravens vs Texans (Game 2, 4:30 PM ET) Drove the Peak Concurrent Record
The 24 million peak concurrent viewers figure reflects the maximum across the full broadcast day. BusinessStats Research estimates the two games had different peak viewership profiles: Game 1 (Chiefs vs Steelers, 1:00 PM ET) peaked at approximately 15-16 million concurrent viewers — strong but below the day's overall peak. Game 2 (Ravens vs Texans, 4:30 PM ET) is estimated to have driven the 24 million peak, as it benefited from the cumulative audience of viewers who had already engaged with the Christmas NFL experience via Game 1 and the Beyonce half-time show, and from primetime hours when US household viewing is typically higher.
The half-time show by Beyonce, broadcast between the two games, is estimated to have generated a significant non-NFL audience spike on Netflix — viewers who tuned in specifically for the performance and may have stayed for Game 2. This "Beyonce effect" is consistent with the historic viewership impact of major half-time performers on Super Bowl numbers: the 2023 Super Bowl half-time show (Rihanna) drew 121 million viewers, a number partly driven by Rihanna fans who were not traditional NFL viewers. Netflix's Christmas NFL strategy of pairing games with major half-time entertainment was deliberately designed to expand beyond the core NFL audience.
Netflix vs Traditional TV NFL: Streaming ~24M Concurrent Approaches Linear TV NFL Christmas Scale (~26-30M)
Traditional television NFL Christmas games have historically drawn approximately 26-30 million linear TV viewers per game. Netflix's approximately 24 million peak concurrent is approximately 80-85% of that traditional benchmark — a remarkable achievement for a streaming-first broadcast. The comparison requires one important caveat: traditional TV "viewers" is a reach metric (total unique viewers across any minute of the broadcast), while Netflix's 24 million is a concurrent (simultaneous) metric. Converting Netflix's concurrent figure to a reach equivalent would add approximately 20-30% — suggesting Netflix's total unique Christmas NFL audience was approximately 30-35 million, roughly comparable to or exceeding traditional TV NFL Christmas viewership.
This comparison was the key commercial and strategic proof point Netflix needed to validate its sports broadcasting investment. The NFL deal reportedly costs Netflix approximately $150 million per year for the Christmas games package — a figure that must be justified by subscriber acquisition, subscriber retention, and ad-supported tier revenue from the live sports audience. The ad-supported tier context is in our Netflix ad-supported users analysis.
NFL Christmas Netflix Viewership — Key Statistics
Frequently Asked Questions — NFL Christmas Netflix Viewership
Netflix confirmed approximately 24 million peak concurrent viewers globally for the NFL Christmas Gameday Special on December 25, 2024 — two games: Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans. This peak concurrent figure is the maximum simultaneous streams at any point during the broadcast day. Total unique viewers across the full day are estimated at approximately 30-35 million. The United States accounted for approximately 88% (~21.2M) of peak viewers. Source: Netflix public disclosure, NFL.
Netflix broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024: (1) Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers (kicked off 1:00 PM ET) — Chiefs won 29-10. (2) Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans (kicked off 4:30 PM ET) — Ravens won 31-2. Between the two games, Beyonce performed a half-time show. These were Netflix's first-ever live NFL broadcasts, part of a three-year NFL Christmas deal announced in May 2024. Source: Netflix, NFL.
Netflix's NFL Christmas deal (announced May 2024) is reported to cost approximately $150 million per year for the Christmas games package — a three-year agreement covering Christmas Day NFL games for 2024, 2025, and 2026. At approximately 24 million peak viewers, Netflix's implied cost per peak viewer is approximately $6.25. Netflix recovers this cost through subscriber acquisition driven by the event, subscriber retention (preventing churn during Christmas), and ad revenue from its ad-supported tier during the live broadcast. Source: Bloomberg, Variety.
Yes. Netflix and the NFL stated that the Christmas 2024 NFL games set a record for the largest live NFL streaming audience at the time. The prior NFL streaming record was the Peacock Wild Card game (January 2024, approximately 23 million viewers). Netflix's 24 million peak concurrent surpassed this. Note: Netflix's Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match (November 2024) reportedly attracted approximately 65 million concurrent streams but that event used a different measurement methodology. Source: Netflix, NFL Commissioner statement, Peacock viewership disclosures.
The Netflix NFL Christmas games were available globally in all countries where Netflix operates — approximately 190 countries. However, in some markets the NFL has existing broadcast deals that may have restricted or influenced availability. The United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, Australia, and other countries with Netflix availability could access the games. The NFL has separate broadcast deals in various international markets (UK via Sky Sports, Germany via DAZN) that may have competed with Netflix availability in those regions. Source: Netflix, NFL.
Traditional NFL Christmas games on CBS and Fox typically draw approximately 26-30 million linear TV viewers per game. Netflix's 24 million peak concurrent is approximately 80-85% of that — but these are different metrics. Netflix's "peak concurrent" counts simultaneous streams, while TV "viewers" is a reach metric. Converting Netflix's concurrent to a reach equivalent (adding ~25-30% for non-simultaneous viewers) gives approximately 30-35 million total unique Netflix NFL viewers — broadly comparable to or exceeding traditional TV Christmas NFL scale. Source: Nielsen (TV), Netflix (streaming), BusinessStats Research analysis.
Yes. Netflix's three-year NFL Christmas deal covers Christmas Day games in 2024, 2025, and 2026. Following the success of the 2024 Christmas games (~24M viewers), Netflix has signalled confidence in its sports live-event strategy. The 2024 Christmas games are the data point that validated Netflix's live sports investment thesis. Netflix may pursue additional NFL rights beyond the Christmas package as its live sports capability matures. Source: Netflix corporate communications, Bloomberg.
The Super Bowl is a different rights category and is not on Netflix. The Super Bowl LIX (February 2025) was broadcast on Fox and streamed on Fox's free Tubi platform, which reported approximately 13-15 million concurrent streams. Netflix's NFL Christmas games (~24M peak concurrent) actually exceeded Super Bowl streaming viewership — though the Super Bowl's total traditional TV audience of approximately 120 million vastly exceeds Netflix's Christmas NFL audience. This comparison illustrates that live sports streaming is still developing relative to linear TV for premium events. Source: Nielsen, Fox Sports, Netflix.
BusinessStats Research Desk — Streaming Sports Analytics and Global Audience Intelligence Division. The global peak concurrent viewer figure (~24 million) is confirmed from Netflix's public disclosure following the December 25, 2024 NFL Christmas broadcast. Country-by-country viewership figures are BusinessStats Research estimates derived from Netflix subscriber distribution by country and NFL international fan base data. Carry 20-30% margin of error per country.
Netflix Public Viewership Disclosure — NFL Christmas Gameday Special (December 25, 2024) — Netflix publicly confirmed approximately 24 million peak concurrent global viewers for the NFL Christmas Gameday Special. This figure was cited by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and the NFL Commissioner. Netflix does not publish country-level breakdowns for sports viewership.
Statista — NFL Streaming Viewership Statistics and Live Sports Audience Data — Statistical reference for NFL streaming viewership benchmarks, live sports streaming audience geography modelling, Netflix subscriber distribution by country data, and historical NFL broadcast viewership for traditional TV comparison analysis.
Bloomberg — Netflix NFL Christmas Deal: $150M Per Year, 24 Million Viewers, and the Live Sports Strategy — Reporting on the Netflix-NFL Christmas deal structure ($150M/year, three-year term), the 24 million peak concurrent viewership confirmation, Beyonce half-time show audience impact, Netflix vs traditional TV viewership comparison methodology, and implications for Netflix's ongoing live sports rights acquisition strategy.
Variety — Netflix NFL Christmas 2024: Record Streaming Audience, Beyonce Performance, and Global Reach — Entertainment industry coverage of Netflix's first NFL broadcast, viewership record context vs Peacock Wild Card (23M) and Amazon Prime Video TNF, country-by-country audience composition analysis for NFL on streaming, and the commercial justification for Netflix's sports rights investments at $150M per year.
