One of the final remaining questions surrounding Netflix’s new package of Christmas Day NFL games set to debut next month was whether or not there would be a viewership measurement.
That question has now been answered, with Nielsen announcing they will measure the Christmas Day doubleheader for the streamer utilizing the same methodology it uses for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football.
NEW 📺: @netflix taps Nielsen to measure viewership for its #NFL Christmas Day games. This collaboration uses Nielsen’s newly MRC-accredited methodology, combining Netflix’s first-party streaming data with our Live Streaming Measurement service. Read more: https://t.co/dufpQ2L5c1 pic.twitter.com/edytRKFwTa
— Nielsen (@nielsen) November 12, 2024
Nielsen has long been the gold standard used by media companies to sell advertising inventory to marketers. Recently, Nielsen has started incorporating first-party streaming data from media companies into its national panel measurement, a move that will ultimately make its measurements more accurate, but muddle comparisons to past years measured without that data being incorporated.
Netflix is likely in for a couple of large audiences on Christmas Day. The first game will feature the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, two teams with high postseason hopes. Then the second game will see reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens against the Houston Texans in a rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional Round game.
According to Front Office Sports, Netflix has sold out of “all available in-game [advertising] inventory” for its pair of games. The Nielsen measurements will be key for next season, as Netflix enters year two of a three year deal to broadcast Christmas Day NFL games.
This year’s games, which will be contested on a Wednesday, shows the NFL’s dedication to making Christmas Day into a football-centric holiday similar to Thanksgiving. It would be surprising if the league couldn’t command a large holiday audience given the teams involved this season.
Netflix is certainly projecting that level of confidence with its Nielsen partnership. And it’s likely that the streamer will be rewarded.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.