More than 200 countries participated in the viewing of the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans games, highlighting the global appeal of these matchups. The Chiefs-Steelers game became the second most popular live broadcast on Netflix, only surpassed by the highly anticipated fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. In fact, the viewership for the Ravens-Texans game closely followed the Chiefs-Steelers audience, demonstrating strong interest in both games.
During the Chiefs-Steelers game, Netflix achieved impressive viewership numbers, capturing nearly a third of the platform’s global concurrent users during the afternoon window. This viewership surpassed Netflix’s peak concurrent viewers on any Christmas Day over the past four years, illustrating a significant milestone for the streaming service in the live sports arena.
Although Nielsen’s ratings for the NFL Christmas Day games are still pending, internal data from Netflix indicates a strong performance. CBS recently discussed with SBJ the implications of Netflix entering the live sports sector and the excitement it brings to the landscape of sports broadcasting.
Overall, this surge in viewership reflects not just a growing interest in live sports among streaming audiences, but also the potential for Netflix to reshape the future of sports broadcasting. As more fans turn to streaming platforms for their entertainment, it opens new avenues for engagement and innovative broadcasting models.