Netflix's latest move into the sporting world has seen the streaming giants purchase the rights to some blockbuster Christmas Day NFL action. And they're spending big for the spectacle.
This follows closely on the heels of Netflix's exclusive live broadcasting of last month's Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing event. And while the action on show might have been a letdown, with the Youtuber-turned-boxer winning a comfortable decision victory over the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion, it drew enormous viewing figures.
Netflix has also developed a string of sports documentaries in recent years, from Michael Jordan's The Last Dance to the Quarterback series that followed Patrick Mahomes and other NFL stars across the course of a season through to their latest basketball equivalent, Starting Five.
Rival streamers Amazon Prime Video have been offering live sports as part of their package for a couple of years now, with Premier League and NFL games finding a regular home with the Jeff Bezos-created mega-company.
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And now Netflix are stepping up their game in respect of live action. At a reported cost of $75 million per game, they will broadcast back-to-back Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs' fixture against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens – led by reigning MVP Lamar Jackson – versus the Houston Texans.
And the super-power streamer has signed up Houston's most famous music star to perform a half-time show during the latter game, with Beyonce set to perform at NRG Stadium.
It has also been rumoured that Taylor Swift could appear at half-time in the other fixture.
The pop megastar is dating Travis Kelce, the Chiefs tight end, and will have wrapped up her global Eras tour in time for Christmas.
Netflix vice president Spencer Wang told Deadline that the cost of acquiring each Christmas Day NFL game equates to “roughly the size of one of our medium-sized original films.”
The most Netflix has ever spent on producing an original movie is The Irishman, which had a $225 million budget.
Topics: NFL, Travis Kelce, American Football
Ryan Baldi