Netflix smashes records with NFL double-header and Beyoncé Bowl on Christmas Day

LeBron James and the NBA will make room for the NFL this Christmas.

That shouldn’t be a problem. Both competitions were winners on Wednesday.

Netflix set records as the most streamed NFL games in U.S. history, while the NBA had its best holiday ratings in five years, according to Nielsen.

The NFL and Nielsen said 65 million U.S. viewers watched at least one minute of each of the two NFL games.

The Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 win over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million, while Kansas City’s 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 million, according to early ratings Nielsen released Thursday.

The five-game NBA series averaged approximately 5.25 million viewers per game on ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.

“I love the NFL,” James said jokingly in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.”

However, Wednesday’s viewing figures showed that there is room for both.

Even though the NBA had the sports calendar to itself on December 25 for years, the NFL has made Christmas one of its tentpole events during the regular season, along with Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving.

Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media, took James’ comments in jest but also welcomed the first season of the league’s three-year partnership with Netflix.

“The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron can have his own opinion, and I’m sure that will get more people looking at it,” he said. “But you know, we’re focused on the NFL and we’re really happy with the results this year with Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build on that in the years to come.”

Both NFL plays surpassed the previous 23-yard mark for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs at Peacock.

Viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The nearly 13-minute halftime performance averaged more than 27 million viewers.

The viewership figures include the audience on Netflix, the mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in to CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.

The global ratings and final U.S. figures are expected to be available Tuesday.

The NFL’s holiday numbers are down from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when programming moves from broadcast to streaming.

Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging a 29.48 million on CBS.

Once global data and Netflix’s first-party data are released, both holiday games are expected to surpass 30 million.

The games were the second and third most popular live titles in Netflix history, surpassed only by the November 14 fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. That fight averaged a global audience of 60 million people and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States.

There will be at least two NFL games on Christmas next year, but because the holiday falls on a Thursday, it’s more likely to be three with two afternoons and one prime time. The NFL has had three Thanksgiving Day games since 2006.

One of the biggest wins for Netflix on Wednesday: fewer streaming complaints. It seems like the only complaint from most was that the stream didn’t immediately go to live action when someone tuned in after the game started.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a statement about the holiday broadcasts that the streaming service is grateful for the partnership with the NFL, its on-air talent, and “please let’s not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.” ”

Beyoncé’s performance was socially trending number one worldwide on X, formerly known as Twitter. The hashtag #NFLonNetflix was also popular around the world, peaking at second place in Australia, third place in the United Kingdom and Germany, fifth place in Brazil and France, and sixth place in the US.

The NBA felt it was a big day and announced Thursday that all five Christmas games on the schedule – San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama’s holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors – year- the number of viewers increases over a year.

The NBA’s lineup saw an 84% increase from 2023. One reason for the increase is that all five games were on ABC, compared to two last year.

The Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Warriors — a game that featured Olympic teammates James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked near the end of the game with about 8.32 million viewers, the league said.

These numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular-season game in five years.

Wednesday’s numbers saw NBA viewership for the season on ESPN platforms increase 4% from last season. The league also saw more than 500 million video views on its social media platforms on Wednesday, a new record.

For the NBA, these are all good signs, amid cries that NBA viewership is hurting.

“The viewing figures dropped somewhat at the beginning of the season. But cable TV viewership is down double digits so far this year compared to last year,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month. “You know, we’re almost at the tipping point where people are watching more shows on streaming than on traditional television. And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which we’re closing next year, every game will be available on a streaming service.

Part of that new package of television deals the NBA is making next season also increases the number of regular-season games televised from 15 to 75.

Under the 11-year agreement, ESPN and ABC will continue to broadcast the games on Christmas Day.