The NFL and Netflix are hoping to spread Christmas cheer with a unique slate of games during the holiday season.
On Wednesday, Netflix will be home to two AFC clashes, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs kicking off the festivities at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Then at 4:30 p.m. ET, the Houston Texans will host the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium.
The pair of contests will both be available behind the paywall of Netflix, which reportedly paid a whopping $150 million for the rights to each game. Luckily for fans, the streaming giant has pulled out all the stops to ensure that its 282.3 million subscribers are provided with the best viewing experience.
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Prior to kickoff, Netflixs pregame show featuring Kay Adams, Drew Brees, Robert Griffin III and Mina Kimes will delve into the Christmas Day matchups and current events across the league. Ian Eagle, Nate Burlson and JJ Watt will then take over from the booth to call the Chiefs vs. Steelers, while Noah Eagle and Greg Olsen will commentate the Ravens vs. Texans.
Both matchups will additionally be available in five different languages, including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. CBS is slated to produce the Netflix games in exchange for a production fee and promotion spots during the two contests.
Though the large majority of viewers will be forced to watch Christmas Day football on Netflix, a select few can tune into the games through another outlet with games shown on TV in local markets.
CBS affiliates KDKA in Pittsburgh and KCTV in Kansas City will be airing the Steelers-Chiefs game exclusively to local markets, while KHOU in Houston and WJZ in Baltimore will be showing the Texans-Ravens game.
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Those looking to watch on their phones will also be able to do so on the NFL+ app. Catching the games at a local bar or restaurant wont be a possibility, however, with CNBC Sports Alex Sherman reporting that the contests “arent going to be available in any commercial establishments where DirecTV provides satellite TV service unless the business also subscribes to streaming service EverPass, according to people familiar with the matter”.
The NFLs Christmas Day games arent the first major sporting events that Netflix has bought the rights to this year. Back in November, the streaming service additionally showcased the highly-anticipated Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, which became the most streamed global sporting event in history with 108 million viewers.
The watershed event wasnt without its issues, as droves of Netflix subscribers lamented that their streams were experiencing significant buffering and lagging – with complaints reaching a fever pitch ahead of the co-main event between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Interview segments with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former boxer Evander Holyfield were additionally momentarily derailed by issues with the microphones and ear pieces.
When asked by NBC if “there any contingency plans in place for tomorrow in the event Netflix has technical issues? an NFL league spokesperson replied: We will be prepared and we are looking forward to a great day.
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