Here's who plays in Netflix's Christmas 2024 games (and how much they cost Netflix)

After rumors started swirling on May 10 that Netflix was looking to become the home of two NFL games on Christmas Day in 2024, the news became real on May 15. Netflix officially secured the streaming rights to live stream two of the 2024 season's NFL games on Christmas Day.

Netflix's deal with the NFL extends beyond Christmas Day 2024 with the streamer locking down a deal to carry at minimum one game for the next two years. That keeps Netflix and the NFL in business through at least 2026. Translation: Plan for the next two seasons to have key games played on Netflix on Dec. 25.

While the NFL's 2024 season schedule was set for release on the evening of May 15, we already know the holiday matchups! Netflix scooped everyone with the announcement of the four teams that will play in their Christmas Day games. One of the games will be played by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the second game will be played by the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal via Deadline, the games didn't come cheap for Netflix. The exact financials aren't widely known, but it's estimated that each game came with a price tag of about $75 million. That's a lot of money for sure, but it's around a similar price range as one of Netflix's mid-tier original movies. Obviously, the deal will logically be worth the risk for Netflix as there's literally no bigger live event in American sports with as massive as a built-in audience than football.

On the heels of the official announcement of Netflix's deal with the NFL, the streamer's chief content officer Bela Bajaria celebrated their biggest expansion into live sports yet:

"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."

- Bela Bajaria

Likewise, the NFL's executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder highlighted the reach Netflix has around the world, which will bring American football in homes across the globe on one of the most popular days for streaming:

"We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world. The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans."

- Hans Schroeder

Clearly, the deal will be mutual beneficial for both Netflix and the NFL, as the streamer seeks to continue adding subscribers and bolster its original content, and the football league wants to increase the profile of the sport beyond the United States. Well, they sure picked the right teams, er, team to play in one of the two Christmas Day games. Everyone's going to want to tune in to see the reigning Super Bowl champs and their most famous fan in the world.

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