Netflix's First NFL Christmas Broadcast Faces Issues Before Chiefs-Steelers

Netflix's first NFL Christmas broadcast hit a snag with issues during the Chiefs-Steelers pregame show.

The streaming giant, which aired Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul last month paid the NFL USD150 million to broadcast two Christmas games this season. And there were some early troubles before the first game of the day.

Despite complaints about buffering during the Tyson-Paul fight, the streaming quality was reportedly good during Netflix's pregame show on Wednesday.

Brandon Riegg who is the vice president of Netflix for sports and nonfiction series noted that it was stretched to the limits and then some more during part of the event on November 14, where internet service providers claimed that they too had been hit by the heavy demand levels before and during the fight.

The bout peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, with 38 million in the United States. According to Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers reported issues with outages or streaming during the fight.

This marks the first time the company, founded in 1998, has aired NFL games. In May, the streaming giant signed a three-year contract to carry Christmas Day games, with the second featuring Texans-Ravens later in the day.

Netflix's 282.3 million subscribers across more than 190 countries will be able to stream the games, making it the first outlet to distribute an NFL game globally. The games will be available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German.

The games will also air on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston. NFL policy requires that games on cable or exclusive streaming be available on over-the-air stations in the competing teams' markets. Additionally, the games will be accessible on mobile devices in the U.S. for NFL+ subscribers.

It also continues the NFL's push into streaming, with Thursday night games in their third season on Amazon Prime Video and the 'Sunday Ticket' package moving to YouTube TV last year.

Last year's three Christmas games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million.

The NFL will have at least two games on Dec. 25 in 2025 and 2026, with Netflix set to broadcast at least one each year. Amazon Prime Video will air a night game with Christmas falling on a Thursday next year.

The Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens, and Texans played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround as if they had played on Sunday and then Thursday.

All four have clinched playoff spots in the AFC, but seeding is still up for grabs.