• Netflix streamed NFL games for the first time on Christmas Day.
• Technical problems marred a high-profile boxing match last month, but Netflix has learned from them.
• Many social media users praised Netflix for its smooth transmission after increasing capacity.

After Netflix botched a high-profile boxing match with Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last month that was marred by technical issues, many social media users praised Netflix for smoothly broadcasting its first-ever NFL games on Christmas Day.

With more than 280 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix is ​​home to successful shows like “Squid Games” and “Stranger Things,” which have different technical requirements than large live events.

Christmas marked the first time America’s most popular sport was streamed: the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans followed, with a halftime performance from Beyoncé.

More than 60 million users watched the boxing match last month, surpassing the capacity of Netflix and internet service providers.

The Netflix stream of the event was overflowing from buffering, poor picture quality and audio problems after Netflix executives severely underestimated the size of its audience and failed to increase capacity, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“We have emphasized our own technology, we have pushed every ISP in the world to the limits of their own capacity, we have emphasized the limits of the Internet itself,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at a conference this month.

It was an embarrassing misstep for Netflix, which plans to broadcast NFL Christmas games through 2026 and recently signed a deal to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

For the holiday NFL event, executives worked in advance with internet service providers such as Charter’s Spectrum, Comcast’s Xfinity and Verizon’s FiOS to increase capacity, the Journal reported.

The investment seems to have paid off.

However, not everyone was happy. Some social media users complained about disruptions, while others disliked being forced to subscribe to yet another streaming service to watch football.