The NFL and Netflix are doing a justified victory lap after the Christmas Day streaming doubleheader. First and foremost, the stream worked. Second, the NFL pocketed $150 million. Third, the NFL has lured another major player to the table for the next round of broadcast negotiations.
It nevertheless came with a cost. While 24.1 million watched Chiefs-Steelers and 24.3 million tuned in for Ravens-Texans, how much larger would the audience have been on a traditional network?
In 2023, 28.68 million viewers watched Raiders-Chiefs on CBS. Giants-Eagles attracted 29.02 million on Fox. And Ravens-49ers drew 27.61 million on ABC/ESPN.
Would the 2024 Christmas games have cracked 30 million? Maybe. For the league, however, it made more sense to grab a $150 million windfall — and to add another potential broadcast partner to the mix. It’s a multibillion-dollar game of musical chairs, and it always helps the league to have one more interested network than available packages.
With an early-morning European package inevitable, someone will be plunking down huge money for that. Current packages could be reshuffled. It will continue to be a blend of broadcast, cable, and streaming.
And it will continue to mean many monies for the men and women who own NFL teams.
With the rise of streaming services and digital platforms, many viewers are opting to watch their favorite holiday specials and movies online, rather than on traditional networks. But have you ever wondered how much higher Christmas ratings would have been on traditional networks if everyone tuned in?
It’s no secret that Christmas is a time for families to gather around the TV and watch classic holiday programming together. From beloved Christmas specials like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to heartwarming movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there’s no shortage of festive content to enjoy.
But with the increasing popularity of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, many viewers are choosing to watch their favorite Christmas content on-demand, rather than waiting for it to air on traditional networks. This shift in viewing habits has undoubtedly impacted Christmas ratings on networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS.
So, just how much higher would Christmas ratings have been on traditional networks if everyone still watched their holiday favorites on TV? It’s hard to say for sure, but one thing’s for certain – the magic of Christmas programming is alive and well, no matter where you choose to watch it.
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