Steelers-Chiefs Ratings on Netflix Were Through the Roof
Netflix said viewers from over 200 countries tuned into the Steelers-Chiefs game on Christmas and nearly 1/3 of all active Netflix viewers globally were watching the game. The stream also went smoothly. There were some concerns after issues with the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match on Nov. 15.
An unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million U.S. viewers watched the Christmas Day doubleheader on Netflix, according to Nielsen. The Ravens vs. Texans (24.3M average minute audience) and Chiefs vs. Steelers (24.1M) are the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history.
As expected, the NFL dominated viewership over the NBA on Christmas Day. It wasn’t even close. NBA star LeBron James said after the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors that “(he) loves the NFL. But Christmas is our day.”
The numbers suggest otherwise …
NFL (Netflix): – Chiefs-Steelers: 24.1M – Ravens-Texans: 24.3M.
NBA: – Knicks-Spurs: 4.9M – Celtics-76ers: 5.1M – Timberwolves-Mavs: 4.3M – Lakers-Warriors: 7.7M – Nuggets-Suns: 3.8M.
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not hold back on the NFL for having four teams play three games in 11 days. The Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans went through a crammed three-game gauntlet, and it all centered around the NFL wanting a doubleheader to be featured on Netflix on Christmas Day.
“It’s miserable. It’s a shame that the league does this. It just shows that it’s all about money and this is a way that they can, you know, make more money and figure this thing out because it’s not fair for the players,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “You wanna talk about injuries and making the game safer, changing the kickoff rule and preventing guys on hip-drop tackles, and concussions, and this that and the other, and you’re going to make guys play the most violent game in the world, arguably, three games in 11 days. I mean, there’s no time for your body to get healthy and rest.”
Netflix shelled out a reported $150 million for rights to the games. It was the first time one of the four major professional sports leagues in the U.S. aired live on Netflix. Christmas fell on a Wednesday this year, so the schedule is definitely wonky. But the NFL wasn’t going to pass up an astronomical payday from the leader in subscription streaming, even if it’s clearly not the best practice for player safety.
With the ratings being astronomical, the NFL on Netflix could be the future. And NFL games on Christmas Day are here to stay, as well. I mean, the NFL went out of their way to schedule a doubleheader on a Wednesday. Nothing is stopping The Shield moving forward.
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