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Christmas should be a time of festivity and relaxation, but the NFL has deviated from its usual tradition of not playing on a Wednesday to deliver a doubleheader on Netflix, with serious AFC implications on the line.
First, the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Pittsburgh Steelers with one goal in mind: clinch the top seed and corresponding first-round bye. Then, the Baltimore Ravens visit the Houston Texans.
The question looms: why Netflix? Why air these games on the world's premier streaming platform?
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Why are NFL Christmas games on Netflix?
Like almost all broadcasting-related decisions, this is motivated by money. Those two games alone will earn the NFL approximately $150 million in revenue - and there are still two more years left in the deal, which was signed back in May.
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Livestreaming of games on non-TV platforms is nothing new. Thursday games had aired on the NFL Network for quite a while before moving to Prime Video in 2022. However, Netflix offers something unprecedented: a truly global reach, with the platform so far boasting 282.3 million subscribers in the nearly 200 countries it is available in.
While it is true that this year's Christmas falls on a Wednesday - traditionally a non-playing day, officials also determined that they would not skimp on the ratings. All four teams involved had played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround as if they played on Sunday, then Thursday.
2024 NFL Christmas Day games schedule
The stream, titled “NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix”, will kick off with a two hour pregame show at 11 am that will feature a musical performance by multiple-time char-topping singer Mariah Carey.
The first game, the Chiefs-Steelers showdown, is expected to kick off at 1 PM ET. Commentary will be provided by Ian Eagle, Nate Burleson, and JJ Watt, with Melanie Collins and Stacey Dales reporting from fieldside.
The Ravens-Texans game is expected to kick off at 4:30 PM ET barring any serious technical issues. Eagle's son Noah will call the action alongside Greg Olsen, with fieldside updates to emanate from Steve Wyche and Jamie Erdahl. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Beyonce will perform at halftime of this game.
How to watch Chiefs-Steelers, Ravens-Texans
Besides Netflix, the games can also be seen in the CBS affiliates of the teams' competing markets, in accordance with league policy that mandates over-the-air broadcasts of streamed games there.
For Pittsburgh and Kansas City, the respective designated stations are KDKA and KCTV. Houston residents can see the second game on KHOU, while Baltimore residents can do the same on WBAL-TV.
