The National Football League's strategic push into streaming scored a monumental victory this Christmas, with two of its three holiday fixtures setting historic viewership records. The late afternoon clash between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, broadcast exclusively on Netflix in the United States, has been crowned the most-streamed NFL game in American history.
Record-Breaking Numbers for Streaming Platforms
According to data from Nielsen, the Vikings' 23-10 victory over the Lions attracted an average audience of 27.5 million U.S. viewers, with viewership peaking at over 30 million. This impressive figure surpasses the previous record set just last year, when Netflix's Christmas game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans averaged 27.2 million.
Not to be outdone, Amazon Prime Video also celebrated a record-breaking night. The Denver Broncos' 20-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the evening slot drew an average of 21.06 million viewers on Prime Video. This broke the platform's own record for its most-watched "Thursday Night Football" broadcast since it acquired the package, previously held at 19.39 million. Audience numbers for this game peaked at 22.9 million during the second quarter.
Global Reach and Halftime Spectacle
The two Christmas games shown on Netflix were streamed to a truly international audience, with fans in over 200 countries and territories tuning in for at least one of the matches. The global average audience was substantial, reaching 30.5 million for the Lions-Vikings game and 22.4 million for the earlier Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders fixture.
A major highlight beyond the sport itself was the halftime entertainment. Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party during the Lions-Vikings interval averaged a staggering 29 million viewers in the U.S. alone. Netflix reported that its "NFL Christmas Gameday" coverage generated more than 632 million social impressions globally, with Snoop Dogg's performance specifically garnering over 100 million.
Comparing the Christmas Day Slate
The full picture of Christmas Day viewership reveals the powerful draw of the streaming services. The first game of the triple-header, the Dallas Cowboys' 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders, averaged a respectable 19.9 million viewers. However, this marked a sharp decline from the 25.8 million who watched the comparable early afternoon game last year between the Chiefs and Steelers.
It is important to note that the published figures for all three games incorporate viewing across multiple platforms. The totals include audiences watching on local broadcast stations in the teams' home markets, as well as those streaming via NFL+ on mobile devices or the web.
This year's record-shattering results underscore a significant shift in how major sports are consumed. The NFL's partnerships with streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are not just experiments; they are becoming central pillars in its broadcast strategy, successfully capturing massive, engaged, and global audiences.
