Christmas usually smells like pine needles and overcooked ham, but in 2024, it smelled like a massive corporate power play. If you were sitting on your couch this past December 25th, you weren't just watching a couple of games; you were witnessing the moment the NFL officially decided that tradition takes a backseat to tech. We saw football on Christmas Day 2024 transition from a "nice-to-have" holiday bonus into a full-blown streaming exclusive, and honestly, the vibes were a little chaotic.
Netflix paid a staggering amount of money—reportedly around $75 million per game—to host the doubleheader. For the first time, if you didn't have a subscription to the "Tudum" service, you were basically out of luck unless you lived in the local markets of the teams playing. It was a bold, somewhat polarizing move that signaled the end of an era where holiday sports were a guarantee on broadcast television.
The league didn't care about the grumbling. They looked at the numbers from 2023, saw the massive engagement, and realized that Christmas is the new Thanksgiving for the NFL. Except this time, it came with a digital paywall.
The Matchups That Ruined (or Saved) Your Dinner
The 2024 slate wasn't just random filler. The NFL schedule-makers were surgical. We started the afternoon with the Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Think about that for a second. You have Patrick Mahomes, the literal face of the league, playing on a holiday. It’s a viewership magnet.
The game itself lived up to the hype, mostly because the Steelers’ defense under Mike Tomlin always seems to find a way to make life miserable for elite quarterbacks. Mahomes had to scramble. A lot. It wasn't the clean, clinical offensive masterclass Chiefs fans expect, but it was gritty. It was Christmas football at its most physical.
Later in the day, the Baltimore Ravens took on the Houston Texans. This was the "New Guard" matchup. Lamar Jackson versus C.J. Stroud. Stroud has been a revelation, and putting him on the biggest stage on December 25th was the league's way of saying, "This kid is the future." The contrast between Jackson’s lightning-fast decision-making and Stroud’s pocket poise made for a fascinating tactical battle.
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If you’re a purist, you might have hated the bright red Netflix branding everywhere. But the football? The football was high-stakes. These weren't exhibition games. These were matchups with massive playoff implications. By late December, every win is a lifeline, and every loss is a disaster.
The Netflix Logistics Nightmare and the Viewer Experience
Let’s be real for a second. Not everyone was happy. Streaming a live sporting event to tens of millions of people simultaneously is a technical Everest. Netflix had some experience with this—remember the Love is Blind reunion disaster?—and they were under a microscope for football on Christmas Day 2024.
There were reports of buffering. Some people saw the dreaded spinning wheel of death right as a crucial third-down play was developing. It’s the risk you run when you move away from traditional cable or over-the-air signals. However, for the majority of viewers, the 4K stream was crisp. It looked better than standard cable.
Netflix also leaned into the "event" feel. They didn't just show the game; they curated an experience. We had custom intros, halftime shows that felt more like variety specials, and a heavy dose of celebrity crossovers. It felt less like a Sunday afternoon on CBS and more like a global entertainment event. That is exactly what the NFL wants. They want to be unavoidable. They want to be the "Watercooler Moment" even when the watercooler is a group chat on WhatsApp.
Why the NFL Owns Christmas Now
For decades, Christmas Day belonged to the NBA. It was their territory. You had the Lakers, the Celtics, the Warriors—it was a basketball tradition. The NFL usually stayed away unless the holiday fell on a Sunday.
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Not anymore.
The league saw a gap and took it. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners realized that the American public has an insatiable appetite for football, and they are willing to ditch the NBA's five-game marathon for a couple of high-intensity NFL games. The ratings for football on Christmas Day 2024 proved that the NFL is the undisputed king of American media.
- The Attendance Factor: It’s worth noting that playing on Wednesday (which Christmas was in 2024) is a logistical nightmare for players.
- Player Safety: Critics, including many players and coaches, pointed out the short rest periods. If you play on a Wednesday, your previous game was likely on a Saturday or Sunday. That’s a brutal turnaround for a body that just survived a professional car crash.
- The Revenue: Money talks. The players get a piece of the pie through the salary cap, which is tied to league revenue. More streaming deals mean a higher cap.
The "Swiftie" Influence and Pop Culture Overlap
You can't talk about the 2024 season without mentioning the Taylor Swift effect. Since she’s been dating Travis Kelce, the Chiefs have become a lifestyle brand as much as a football team.
During the Chiefs vs. Steelers game, the cameras were inevitably hunting for her in the suites. It’s a polarizing topic for "real" football fans, but from a business perspective? It’s gold. It brought in a demographic that otherwise wouldn't have cared about a defensive struggle in Pittsburgh. It made the Christmas broadcast a "must-watch" for people who don't know the difference between a nickel defense and a nickelodeon.
This crossover is why Netflix wanted the games. They aren't just selling sports; they are selling a cultural moment. They want the person who watches Stranger Things to stay for the fourth quarter of a Ravens game.
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What This Means for 2025 and Beyond
If you thought 2024 was a one-off, you’re mistaken. The NFL has seen the future, and it’s digital. We are likely going to see more "holiday packages" sold to the highest bidder.
There is a growing divide between the fans who grew up with a pair of rabbit ears on their TV and the younger generation who doesn't even know what a channel number is. The NFL is betting on the latter. They are willing to alienate a few older fans to capture the platform where the world is moving.
But there’s a limit, right? At some point, the "short week" problem becomes too much for the players’ union (NFLPA) to ignore. There have already been hushed conversations about expanding the roster sizes or adding a second bye week if the league continues to schedule games on odd days like Wednesdays and Tuesdays.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Fan
If you want to keep up with how the league is shifting, you have to change your setup. The days of "just turning on the TV" are over.
- Audit Your Subs: Check which platforms hold the rights for the upcoming season. It’s no longer just ESPN and FOX. You need to know who has the "Holiday Package" months in advance.
- Bandwidth Check: If you’re streaming 4K football, your 50Mbps home internet might struggle when the whole family is over using their phones. Upgrade your router or hardwire your smart TV with an Ethernet cable to avoid the Christmas Day lag.
- Monitor the NFLPA: Keep an eye on the labor negotiations. The players aren't thrilled about the physical toll of these mid-week holiday games. Their pushback will dictate whether we see more Wednesday games in the future.
- Local Workarounds: Remember that if your local team is playing a "streaming exclusive" game, it is almost always broadcast on a local over-the-air station in your home market. Don't buy a sub if you live in the city of the team playing—check your local listings first.
The 2024 holiday season proved that the NFL is no longer just a sports league; it’s a tech-driven entertainment juggernaut that will gladly upend decades of tradition if the price is right. Whether that’s good for the soul of the game is debatable, but the scoreboard doesn't lie: Christmas is now a football holiday.