Netflix selects CBS Sports to handle production for slate of Christmas Day NFL games

The agreement between the NFL and the streaming giant marks the first time Netflix has licensed the rights to the nation’s most popular sports league.

Netflix will partner with CBS Sports to handle production duties for a pair of NFL games the streaming giant will carry Christmas Day.

The company announced the Paramount Global-owned network agreed to a one-year production deal. However, the agreement does not include the game's broadcasters. The on-air talent for the game is expected to be determined at a later date, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Jim Nantz and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will continue to serve as CBS Sports' lead announcers for NFL games in 2024.

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The deal also represents the first time Netflix has agreed to livestream football on its platform. The 2024 Christmas Day doubleheader will be available exclusively to Netflix subscribers at no extra cost. The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the reigning back-to-back Kansas City Chiefs in the first of the two holiday games.

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The Baltimore Ravens visit the Houston Texans for the late afternoon game, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. EST. 

Netflix also earned the rights to stream at least one holiday game in 2025 and 2026, according to the terms of the multiyear deal with the league.

"Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more," Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a news release in May shortly after the Christmas Day package of games was announced. 

"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."

Last year, Christmas Day fell on a Monday, and the NFL scheduled a triple-header. This year, four NFL teams will take the field for the doubleheader for the rare Wednesday games.

"The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition, and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans," Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, said in a statement.

Netflix is expected to pay around $150 million for the rights to each NFL game, per Bloomberg. Netflix and the NFL have had a relationship for the past couple of years. 

The docuseries "Quarterback" was released on Netflix in 2023, and "Receiver" premiered on the streaming platform last month. While "Quarterback" focused on three different signal-callers at different points of their careers, the pass-catching series follows a total of four wideouts and one tight end.

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In keeping with previous deals, the agreement with Netflix allows games to be shown on broadcast television in the competing teams' home markets. The league-owned NFL+ streaming service will allow fans in the U.S. to watch the games via their mobile devices.

The NFL continues to be the most-watched sports league in the U.S. February's Super Bowl between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers drew a record 123.7 million viewers domestically.