About 65 million viewers combined watched a pair of NFL games on Netflix on Christmas Day to set streaming records.
The matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers averaged 24.1 million viewers, and the Baltimore Ravens’ win over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million viewers, making the games the the most streamed NFL in US history, according to Nielsen. the NFL said in a statement Thursday.
Ravens-Texans viewership soared for the “Beyonce Bowl,” Beyoncé’s much-hyped halftime performance, with more than 27 million viewers, Netflix said Thursday in a statement.
The NFL said it was delighted with the Christmas Day numbers.
“Fans in all 50 states and more than 200 countries around the world saw some of the league’s brightest stars along with a dazzling performance from Beyoncé on a historic day for the NFL,” said Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of distribution for NFL media, in The Netflix Statement.
Netflix and the NFL have a three-season partnership to stream holiday games, Netflix said.
Although the holiday football showdowns, which were regular-season games, set streaming records, they were far from the biggest sporting event on Netflix in recent weeks. Last month, he broadcast a boxing match between legendary champion Mike Tyson, 58, and Jake Paul. More than 60 million tuned in to the fight.
And how did Christmas Day viewership compare to the biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl? Last season’s championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers drew 123.4 million viewers. It was shown on CBS, NFL Network, Univision, Paramount+, NFL+ and ViX, a Spanish-language streaming service.
CBS said the game was the most-watched telecast in history, surpassing the 2023 Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, which drew 115 million total viewers.