Netflix is ​​preparing to stream two NFL games this Christmas Day: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET.

These soccer matches represent the streaming service’s latest test of live coverage of events that are likely to attract millions of viewers.

Last year, an average of 28.7 million viewers tuned in to one of three NFL football games on Christmas Day – the Las Vegas Raiders vs. the Chiefs; the New York Giants against the Philadelphia Eagles; and the Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers. The matchups were among the 25 most-watched TV shows of 2023.

“We are thrilled to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media sales, said in a statement.

But it’s not just the touchdowns and tackles that should increase viewership.

Before the Ravens take on the Texans, Grammy-winning group Pentatonix will sing the national anthem. At halftime, Beyoncé will take the stage and perform tracks from her album, which will be released in 2024 Cowboy Carter live for the first time, along with special guest appearances.

Netflix says it has learned from mishaps in the Tyson-Paul boxing match

Netflix’s move to stream NFL games comes just weeks after the platform’s attempt to broadcast live boxing matches between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was riddled with technical problems.

Many fans reported on social media about long buffering times or the stream booting. According to the website Down Detector, at least 85,000 viewers experienced problems with streaming. The disruptions were so frustrating for a Florida man that he filed a class action lawsuit against Netflix over its “invisible” live stream.

At its peak, the fight reached 65 million concurrent streams worldwide, an unprecedented level for Netflix.

A Netflix spokesperson said the platform had learned a lot about streaming from the Tyson-Paul fight, adding that Netflix had “adjusted its content delivery, encoding and streaming protocols accordingly” to address technical issues at the football matches impede.

“We now know from experience what the biggest pressure points are in our infrastructure and are addressing them promptly before NFL games,” the spokesman said in an email.

There’s a lot at stake for Netflix to get live streams right and trouble-free. The platform is already set to air NFL games on Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026. Netflix will also begin airing WWE Raw, SmackDown and other WWE programming weekly beginning January 6th.

On Friday, Netflix struck a deal with FIFA to gain exclusive streaming rights for the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup. The two groups said it was not only a result for the streamer, but also a victory for FIFA, which hopes to reach a wider audience, particularly in the United States

“This agreement sends a strong message about the true value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and global women’s football,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

Whether it’s a comedy special, a late-night talk show, or a dating show reunion, it’s hit or miss whether Netflix broadcasts run smoothly.

But it’s clear that live programming is here to stay on Netflix. In recent years, the streamer has increasingly experimented with live programming – an area largely dominated by traditional TV platforms. It’s a significant shift from the binge-watching trend that helped Netflix gain popularity.

Netflix has the largest subscriber base of any streaming service in the world. However, mastering live streaming will be crucial going forward as concerns about stagnation and subscriber growth continue to emerge.