Netflix Sets NFL Streaming Records on Christmas Day

Netflix Sets NFL Streaming Records on Christmas Day, but Stock Slips

Netflix achieved a major milestone with its Christmas Day coverage of two NFL games, setting new streaming records for the league and avoiding technical glitches.

The Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers drew an average of 24.1 million U.S. viewers, while the Baltimore Ravens' victory against the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million viewers.

Viewership for the Ravens-Texans game peaked at 27 million during Beyoncé's halftime performance.

Including international audiences, global viewership for each game is estimated to have reached 30 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

These figures surpassed the previous NFL streaming record of 23 million viewers for a playoff game streamed by Peacock in January.

Netflix also avoided the technical issues seen during its Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing fight, which disrupted many subscribers despite attracting 60 million households.

Despite this success, Netflix shares fell 0.5% in premarket trading on Friday after a 0.9% dip the previous day. With the stock up 90% year-to-date, investors appear cautious about pushing it higher without further evidence of sustainable growth from ventures like NFL streaming.

Netflix's foray into live sports has set a strong precedent, but the market will watch closely for its next moves.