On Christmas Day, Netflix successfully debuted its broadcast of NFL games without any technical issues. Mariah Carey kicked off the doubleheader with a pre-recorded performance of "All I Want for Christmas is You" before the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by the Houston Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens in the second game.
Netflix signed a three-year contract in May to air Christmas Day games, anticipating one of its busiest days since its inception in 1998. With 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries, Netflix became the first platform to globally distribute NFL games, offering streaming in five languages.
While Netflix faced streaming problems during the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on Nov. 14, with 65 million concurrent streams and 85,000 reported outages, no issues were reported during the NFL games on Christmas Day. The halftime show featuring Beyoncé at NRG Stadium during the Ravens-Texans game posed a significant test for the streaming service.
According to NFL Media, viewers from all 50 states and nearly 200 countries tuned in to watch the pregame show and kickoff. This marked the first time the NFL played games on a Wednesday since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Steelers and Ravens to play on a Wednesday in 2020. The only other time the league played on a Wednesday since 1948 was in 2012 for the season opener between the Giants and Cowboys.