About 24 million people each watched the two NFL games streamed on Netflix on Christmas Day, the company said.
The streaming platform showcased the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a pre-recorded Mariah Carey song airing ahead of the game, and the Baltimore Ravens versus the Houston Texans with a feature halftime performance from Beyonce.
Both games set records as the most-streamed NFL games in history and Netflix said the second game of the Christmas doubleheader, Ravens-Texans, was the most-watched Christmas Day game on record among viewers aged 18 to 34 with 5.1 million US viewers based on Nielsen records dating back to 2001.
Viewership peaked at more than 27 million during Beyonce’s halftime performance of her newest album “Cowboy Carter,” which wooed a Houston holiday crowd filled with music and football fans alike. The hashtag BeyoncéBowl skyrocketed on X.
“Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a statement.
“We’re thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and let’s please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey,” she added.
The Raven’s quarterback Lamar Jackson, a two time MVP, made big plays at the Texan’s home field breaking the league’s career rushing record for quarterbacks, outpacing Michael Vick.
Baltimore’s team will advance to the playoffs, as will the Chiefs who won the Super Bowl last year. Both are the number one seeds from their conference.
