Netflix broke the record with one of its Christmas Day NFL games this year. According to Nielsen, 27.5 million viewers watched the live stream of the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions game, making it the most streamed NFL game in U.S. history.
This number represents the average number of viewers watching at any given moment of the livestream, but the game’s most-watched moment reached more than 30 million viewers. The halftime show, “Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party,” averaged 29 million viewers on its own.
Netflix also streamed the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders game on Christmas Day, which averaged 19.9 million viewers. Another Christmas NFL game was streamed on Amazon Prime Video and ranked among Netflix streaming. The Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs livestream averaged 21.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched Thursday Night Football regular season game in Amazon history.
Last year’s first-ever Christmas game on Netflix averaged 24.3 million and 24.1 million viewers, less than this year’s Lions-Vikings game but more than the Cowboys-Commanders game. From last year’s game to this year’s Lions-Vikings game, Netflix is now the source of all three of the most-streamed NFL games of all time in the United States.
Although the above data from Nielsen refers to viewership in the US only, NFL games on Netflix were available worldwide. The streamer reported that viewers in more than 200 countries and territories watched at least one of the 2025 games, with the Lions-Vikings game averaging 30.5 million viewers worldwide and the Cowboys-Commanders game reaching 22.4 million viewers.
The NFL games added to already strong viewership for Netflix. Netflix also launched the second volume of the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” on Christmas Day. Although exact Christmas Day totals were not released, the season was the most-watched title globally on Netflix as of December 25th, with 34.5 million views in the week from December 22nd to 28th.
In addition to the game itself, the NFL telecast featured a wide lineup of entertainment, including talent from Netflix. Snoop Dogg has chosen the singer of Huntr/x, the fictional girl group featured in the animated film KPop Demon Hunters. Snoop was joined by Laney Wilson, and Martha Stewart introduced the show with a Snoop-themed parody of “It Was the Night Before Christmas.” At the Cowboys vs. Commanders game, the halftime show was led by the Sugarhill Gang.
Both games were produced by CBS Sports, with NFL Media producing the pregame, postgame, and studio halftime shows. EverWonder Studio executive produced the Netflix telecast.
