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Netflix is hoping its latest live event won't break the internet.
The streaming giant will again test its technical limits when it streams two NFL games on Christmas Day — the first fruits of its three-season deal. (Netflix reportedly paid $150 million to air this year's two Christmas matchups, with additional games set for the 2025 and 2026 holiday seasons.)
And to raise the stakes even higher: Beyoncé will perform at the halftime show during the second game.
As Netflix's live spectacles grow in stature, so has the attention grown on any technical difficulties. Netflix told Business Insider it has learned from past issues.
Last month, a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was marred by buffering, poor image quality, and audio problems for certain viewers. Around 90,000 issues were reported on Downdetector at the time.
That wasn't the first time Netflix frustrated viewers with technical challenges. Last year, a live "Love Is Blind" reunion was delayed and ultimately filmed to air later.
The Wall Street Journal reported that issues during the Tyson-Paul fight arose because Netflix greatly underestimated viewership — with three times as many people tuning in as had been expected. This overwhelmed Netflix's systems and also left internet service providers unprepared, the Journal reported.
The Tyson-Paul fight was a record-breaking event, Netflix said, drawing over 65 million concurrent viewers globally.
"We were stressing our own technology, we were pushing every ISP in the world right to the limits of their own capacity, we were stressing the limits of the internet itself," co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at a conference earlier this month.
The company told Business Insider it worked quickly to stabilize issues for the majority of its members after problems arose during the Tyson-Paul stream. It said it's now applying lessons learned about its main pressure points as it looks to the NFL streams, including adjusting its content delivery, encoding, and streaming protocols.
Netflix is estimating the football games could attract 35 million concurrent viewers, the Journal reported, but is preparing for an audience in line with the boxing event.
Live programming is a prime target for advertisers because it draws especially engaged viewers. As Netflix has sought to build out its advertising business, it has signed costly content deals, including a $5 billion, 10-year deal for WWE programming and a pact with FIFA to air the next two Women's World Cup tournaments in 2027 and 2031 exclusively in the US.
The Tyson-Paul stream did not feature any ad breaks, though there were logo placements and in-broadcast integrations, Netflix previously told BI. The NFL games will be the first time Netflix has commercial breaks built into a stream, according to the Journal.
Inventory for both games is sold out, Netflix announced in November, with sponsors including the likes of FanDuel and Verizon.
And the day has been programmed like a full-fledged spectacle. Mariah Carey is set to kick off the broadcast, performing her Christmas staple "All I Want For Christmas Is You" — though it will be pre-recorded.
The Kansas City Chiefs are set to face off against the Steelers in the first game in Pittsburgh, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Then, the Houston Texans are set to battle the Baltimore Ravens, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Beyoncé Knowles is scheduled to perform at halftime during the second matchup — in her native Houston.
Netflix launched its ad-supported subscription tier two years ago and has amassed 70 million subscribers. The company has predicted advertising could eventually make up 10% of its revenues.
