Netflix has sold out all available in-game ad inventory for its two upcoming NFL games on Christmas day.
FanDuel will be the exclusive pregame sportsbook partner for these broadcasts, sponsoring an in-show feature that will include game analysis and predictions based on FanDuel’s betting odds.
In addition, Verizon has been named as the “kick-off” sponsor, with a segment airing before the games begin. Other advertising partners will also have traditional ads featured throughout the broadcasts.
To gain deeper insights into live viewing numbers, Netflix has partnered with Nielsen to work on analysing first-party streaming data from the games.
These Christmas Day games – featuring the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans facing the Baltimore Ravens – represent an expansion of Netflix’s relationship with the NFL, which previously focused more on entertainment content.
Earlier this year, Netflix premiered Quarterback, a popular documentary series following NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota, offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at their lives on and off the field.
At the time of announcing the NFL Christmas games, Bela Bajaria, Chief Content Officer at Netflix, said: “Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live – tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports and more.
“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.”
Netflix’s advertising-supported subscription tier, introduced two years ago, has reportedly driven positive growth across the company. This tier offers a lower-cost option for subscribers who agree to watch adverts during their viewing.
According to Netflix, this tier now has 70 million monthly active users globally, up from 40 million six months ago and 15 million a year ago.
While it remains unclear how the Christmas NFL broadcasts will impact these numbers, Netflix’s focus on sports content is drawing significant fan interest.
Besides the NFL, Netflix is set to exclusively broadcast the much-anticipated Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight tonight (15 November) and recently announced a major deal to become the new streaming home of WWE Raw, securing a 10-year contract valued at $5bn.
