Netflix Beyonce Bowl most streamed NFL game ever
Streaming giant Netflix will be clinking glasses into the new year after breaking records with their NFL coverage on Christmas day.
The so-called “Beyonce Bowl” between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, which saw the 32-time Grammy winner perform a half time show, pulled in a staggering 24.3m viewers according to US audience monitoring firm Nielsen.
The other game broadcast on the subscription service, Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Stealers, raked in 24.1m.
They Beyonce show saw 27m viewers.
It means the pair of games, Netflix’s first dip into top flight live sports broadcasting, shattered streaming records for the NFL.
But the viewing figures were, however, below par in comparison to last year’s Christmas day broadcast, which was hosted on traditional and cable TV channels in the US. The 2023 match between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs peaked at 29m.
“Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” said Netflix chief content officer, Bela Bajaria.
Added Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution: “We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience.”
The deal, worth around $150m, sees Netflix host the Christmas day matches through until 2026.
And the successful broadcast, which saw global superstar Beyonce do a country-themed half time show at NRG Stadium in Houston, comes after the streaming giant hosted the bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul and its new deal to broadcast WWE.
Netflix announced last week that they had agreed a deal to host the Fifa Women’s World Cup through until 2031.