Netflix announced Wednesday that it will stream two National Football League games this Christmas, ramping up its efforts to add more live programming to its streaming service.
It will also stream at least one game on Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026 as part of a three-season exclusive deal.
The deal marks the first time Netflix has licensed the rights to one of the world’s biggest sports leagues, and the first time it has broadcast live soccer.
“No live annual event, sports or otherwise, can match the audience that NFL football attracts,” Netflix head of content Bela Bajaria said Wednesday.
The company did not disclose financial terms of the deal.
bloomberg news, The negotiations were first reported onsaid Netflix would pay less than $150 million per game.
The NFL is the most-watched sports league in the United States.
This year’s Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers drew a record 123.7 million viewers nationwide.
“Netflix is no longer just experimenting with sports, it’s embracing it,” said Ross Venez, senior analyst at eMarketer.
The streaming pioneer has turned to live events and sports in recent months to retain users and build its advertising business as growth saturates in its top market, the United States.
Netflix signed a $5 billion-plus rights deal to become the exclusive home of World Wrestling Entertainment’s RAW in January and live-streamed the tennis showdown between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in March.
Still, the deal marks new territory for the company, which last year signaled it would not compete for sports rights because a deal with the NFL would require a huge investment.
Rival companies have also jumped in on the rights to big sports leagues in recent years. Amazon Prime holds the rights to Thursday Night Football and Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer.
“2024 will be seen as the year the sports pendulum starts to swing in favor of streaming,” Benes said.
