Netflix Makes Huge Jump Into NFL Arena, With Christmas Day Broadcasts That Should Shake Up Industry
The NFL will feature a doubleheader on Christmas Day, available for streaming on Netflix, which promises to be a family affair beyond the broadcast booth. Ian Eagle will team up with J.J. Watt and Nate Burleson to cover the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game. Meanwhile, Noah Eagle and FOX’s Greg Olsen will be the broadcast team for the Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens contest.
Multiple reports suggest that Netflix has agreed to pay $150 million for two NFL 2024 Christmas Day games: Chiefs vs. Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans. The Eagles were not the initial choice; Tom Brady and his Fox Sports colleague Kevin Burkhardt were targeted, but FOX declined.
Ian, aged 55, is the father of 27-year-old Noah and a veteran CBS Sports broadcaster, working with 43-year-old Burleson. CBS Sports is set to be the third-party producer for Netflix’s Christmas games. Noah has emerged as a rising star, having impressed networks with his play-by-play commentary for NBC during the 2024 Paris Olympics, following years as the radio voice for the Los Angeles Clippers, and also providing commentary for Nickelodeon’s Super Bowl broadcasts in consecutive years.
Netflix’s co-CEO Greg Peters spoke at a financial conference recently and told the audience that the company hopes to “Netflix-ify the game.” Peters continued saying, “we’ll plan to have a little bit of stuff around the games with our talent, stuff like that, that’ll hopefully make it super fun.”
CBS Sports is set to handle game production, with studio programming reported by Puck’s John Ourand to be produced by ex-NFL Network producer Mark Quenzel and his company. Meanwhile, Rich Eisen along with NFL Network talent are slated to participate in the pregame and postgame broadcasts.
Netflix has been playing ball with the NFL for a couple of years now, beginning with the hit series Quarterback in 2023. Now streaming is, Receiver a series that follows five of the NFL’s best pass catchers through their 2023 season on and off the field: Davante Adams (Raiders), Justin
Jefferson (Vikings), George Kittle and Deebo Samuel (of the 49ers), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions).
“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more,” says Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”
