Netflix’s Christmas NFL Games — and Beyoncé Halftime Show — Score 65 Million Total Viewers

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Netflix’s Christmas NFL games — and Beyoncé’s halftime show — brought in 65 million total viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen data. Both games broke streaming records for the NFL in the U.S., as well as viewership records for the coveted 18-34 demographic.

The Ravens vs. Texans game saw 24.3 million viewers based on average minute audience data. As for the Chiefs vs. Steelers game, that saw 24.1 million viewers in average minute audience viewing. Viewership in the United States peaked during the Ravens-Texans game thanks to the Beyoncé Bowl, which saw over 27 million viewers, per Nielsen. That game was also watched by 5.1 million viewers in the U.S. between the ages of 18 to 34, the highest viewership record the NFL has seen for that demographic since 2001.

That makes the Ravens-Texans game the most-streamed NFL game in U.S. history, according to Nielsen, followed by the Chiefs-Steelers game. The record was previously held by September’s Cowboys-Giants game, which averaged 16.22 million viewers on Prime Video. These metrics were based on fast national live plus same day data from Nielsen and included both out-of-home viewing and CBS local market viewing on mobile and web data. NFL+ mobile viewing was also included in these metrics.

Global ratings for the games, as well as additional insights, will be released on Dec. 31.

As for social, #BeyonceBowl trended No. 1 worldwide on X on Christmas Day, replacing #Christmas. After her performance, Netflix occupied 10 of the Top 12 trending topics on Twitter in the United States. Elsewhere in the world, #NFLonNetflix reached the No. 2 spot in Australia; the No. 3 spot in the U.K. and Germany; and the No. 5 spot in Brazil and France.

“Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” Bela Bajaria, Netflix chief content officer, said in a Thursday statement. “We’re thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and let’s please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”

“We’re thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience,” Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, added. “Fans in all 50 states and over 200 countries around the world watched some of the league’s brightest stars along with a dazzling performance by Beyoncé in a historic day for the NFL.”

The first game between Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off at 1 p.m. ET, before the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens began at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Comedians Bert Kreischer and Nate Bargatze also made special appearances during the games, with Kreischer serving as a tailgate correspondent. The games were filled with commentary from football legends — including Drew Brees, RGIII, Manti Te’o, Nate Burleson, JJ Watt and Greg Olsen — as well as NFL mainstays like Laura Rutledge, Kay Adams, Mina Kimes, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Ian Eagle, Noah Eagle, Melanie Collins, Stacey Dales, Jamie Erdahl, Steve Wyche, Ian Rapoport, Gene Steratore and Scott Hanson.

The Christmas Day NFL games come in the wake of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight hosted and live-streamed by Netflix, whose streaming glitches raised concerns for the Christmas games. The Nov. 15 event, which featured several other fights, brought in over 108 million viewers worldwide, according to Netflix, making it the most-streamed global sporting event ever.

Netflix will continue to expand its live sports programming with WWE Monday Night Raw, which is set to debut on Monday, Jan. 6. Beyoncé’s halftime show will also be available as a standalone special.