Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens walks on the field as teammates work out prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen watches his three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (11) celebrates after sacking SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings during the second half in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
FILE – The Netflix logo is shown in this photo from the company’s website, in New York, Feb. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer
Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it airs two NFL games for the first time.
“NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 11 a.m., before Pittsburgh hosts Kansas City. Baltimore faces Houston in the second game.
The streaming giant agreed to a three-year contract in May to carry Christmas Day games.
Where will the games be available?
Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in over 190 countries will be able to stream the games, marking the first time one outlet has distributed an NFL game globally. Netflix will have the games available in five languages — English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German.
The games will also air on CBS affiliates in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston. NFL policy dictates that games on cable or being exclusively streamed must also be on an over-the-air station in the competing teams’ markets. It will also be available on mobile devices in the U.S. for those who have NFL+.
Why is the NFL putting Christmas Day games on a streaming platform?
The biggest reason is money. The league is getting $150 million from Netflix for the two games this season. It also continues the NFL’s moves into streaming — Thursday night games are in their third season on Amazon Prime Video and the “Sunday Ticket” package moved to YouTube TV last year.
But Christmas is on a Wednesday when games usually aren’t played.
That’s true, but the league wasn’t about to give up Christmas after seeing the ratings. Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million.
The Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans played on Saturday, giving them the same turnaround they would have if they played on Sunday and then Thursday.
What is at stake for the teams playing?
All four have clinched playoff spots in the AFC, but seeding remains up for grabs.
Kansas City (14-1) can clinch the top seed — which would mean a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs — with a win over the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied atop the AFC North at 10-5, with the Steelers holding the tiebreaker due to a better conference record.
Houston (9-6) has wrapped up the AFC South and holds the fourth seed.
Has Netflix fixed its streaming problems from the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight?
Netflix hopes so. Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the system was stress tested, and then some, during the Nov. 14 bout, along with internet service providers reporting they were also overwhelmed by the surge that occurred before and during the fight.
The bout peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States. According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to and during the fight.
Could there be the same number streaming the games that there were during the fight?
Possible? Yes. Likely? No.
The largest audience for a streamed-exclusive NFL game was 23 million on Peacock for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs.
Nielsen will measure the ratings for the Christmas Day games, with early numbers expected late afternoon on Thursday.
When could there be surge in demand on Wednesday?
It will probably beat kickoff for both games, but especially around 5:45 p.m. EST. That would be near halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, and when Beyoncé will be performing.
What other celebrities will appear?
Mariah Carey will kick off the day with a taped performance of “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
There is no word if Taylor Swift will make the trip to Pittsburgh to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been spending time in Kansas City since she wrapped up her Eras Tour two weeks ago.
How many Christmas games will Netflix carry in the next two seasons?
The NFL will have at least two games on Dec. 25 in 2025 and ’26, with Netflix slated to have at least one each year. Amazon Prime Video will have a night game with Christmas on a Thursday next year.
Does Netflix have an interest in other sports?
Netflix’s worldwide partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on Jan. 6 when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service.
On Friday, Netflix secured the U.S. rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
(File Photo of Police Lights)
(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)
(Aliquippa, PA) An intentional homicide in Aliquippa is still under investigation. Aliquippa Police responded to an alleyway close to Burton Street on Monday at 1:35 p.m. The victim, thirty-four-year-old Devon Williams of Pittsburgh, was found dead. The Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver are still looking for information after Aliquippa Police gave the investigation over to them. If you have any information about this incident, please call 724-773-7400.
(File Photo of Aliquippa Police Car)
(Hopewell Township, PA) A man from Aliquippa faces charges after police chased his car while he broke multiple laws. According to a Facebook post from the City of Aliquippa Police Department, on Monday at around 11:23 p.m. police noticed a white BMW on Kennedy Boulevard near Grand Avenue. Police followed the driver of that car, who was not stopping at stop signs while both turning through traffic and cutting people off. Officers believed the suspect was driving under the influence, so they stopped chasing the driver on Maratta Road in Hopewell Township when they saw the driver went way too fast. The driver then hit a utility pole on that same road after the chase ended. The driver was twenty-two-year-old Emmanuel Gyadu Mantey, who was taken to jail without any incident. Mantey faces several charges, which include:
(File Photo of Road Work)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Monaca, PA) A water main break occurred on Route 18 near Walmart Hill in Monaca on Monday afternoon. The water main break left a big hole close to the road near both that Walmart and a bank in Monaca. As of 4 p.m., the impact of traffic will continue. It is unclear at this time what caused the water main break. This is a developing story, and we will have updates as soon as they are available.
(File Photo of Center Township Police Car)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Center Township, PA) According to a Facebook post from the Center Township Police Department, one of their police officers got hit by a motor vehicle on Friday. This occurred while a vehicle accident was being investigated. The officer has since been released after being treated. The Center Township Police Department also put out advice for drivers to stay away from emergency vehicles and to be mindful of the conditions on the road.
(File Photo of Police Lights)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Brothersvalley Township, PA) A Beaver County woman passed away on Friday from a car accident in Somerset, Pennsylvania near Glades Pike on Route 31 at around 7 a.m. Pennsylvania State Police identified the victim as thirty-seven-year-old Meghan S. Kelker of Rochester. Kelker did not execute a right-hand curve when switching lanes and hit another vehicle. The driver that was hit had a minor injury and was taken to UPMC Somerset following the crash. Kelker was pronounced dead at 8:52 a.m. by Somerset County Chief Deputy Coroner Alexis Lichty. According to Coroner Cullen Swank, multiple blunt force injuries caused Kelker’s death.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A United States Postal Service employee works outside a post office in Wheeling, Ill., Dec. 3, 2021. Four environmental groups that want the U.S. Postal Service to buy more electric delivery vehicles are suing to halt further purchases. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, April 28, 2022, in federal court in California, asks a judge to order the Postal Service to conduct a more thorough environmental review before moving forward with the next-generation vehicle program. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)
(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvanians mailing holiday cards and gifts may face delays due to proposed postal changes. The Postal Service costs-cutting plans include ending evening pickups in remote areas, holding mail overnight, and reducing transport frequency. Kimberly Miller of the American Postal Workers Union says Postmaster Louis DeJoy’s ten year “Delivering for America” plan seeks to break even and stabilize the finances but changes delivery standards and is causing widespread delays and slow mail. Miller points out that DeJoy replaced first-class parcels with “ground advantage” parcels, consolidating all mail onto trucks without prioritizing express or priority packages. This shift has disrupted delivery reliability, leaving the service less dependable than before.