Thanks to NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, Netflix said it enjoyed its "most-watched Christmas day ever" in the U.S.

The streamer live streamed two games - Kansas City Chiefs v Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens v Houston Texans - to a huge global audience

In the NBA, the Christmas lineup averaged 5.25 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, a big increase from the all-time low of 2.85 million in 2023. ABC simulcast all five games this year, whereas the broadcaster only carried two a year ago due in part to its Monday Night Football obligation.

It has finally happened: Netflix now has live football. Announced earlier this year, Christmas Day marks the beginning of the NFL's expansion onto the popular streaming service, with two games on tap for this year: the Chiefs and Steelers in the opener at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the Ravens and Texans in the day's second game at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening matchup on the NFL's doubleheader on Netflix.

Netflix’s first NFL Christmas Day doubleheader ended up being successful globally. The Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 31.3 million while Kansas City’s 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 30 million worldwide,

Netflix paid $150 million to air two NFL games exclusively on the streaming platform on Christmas Day and it yielded record-breaking viewing figures.