When the numbers for the two Christmas games on Netflix emerged on Thursday, we passed along only the figures that meshed with the ordinary process for measuring TV viewership — average per minute audience.
For Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans, the numbers were great for streaming, but much lower than last year’s audience metrics from a trio of Christmas games on broadcast networks. Indeed, the average audience of 24.2 million for two 2024 Christmas games is nearly 15 percent lower than the three-letter average for three 2023 Christmas games.
The NFL and Netflix also pushed a non-traditional number, aimed at creating the impression that the audience was bigger than it was. And many passed it along without context or scrutiny.
Here’s one quote from a prominent media member who might get pissy (again) if called out by name: “Netflix Christmas Gameday reached 65 million viewers, per Nielsen.”
Fox executive Michael Mulvihill has provided the context for that number. Last year, the reach was 81.4 million.
Apart from the fact that many regurgitated the 65 million number without even stopping to consider that it might not be relevant, the NFL’s press release was misleading. Here’s the first line: “Christmas was a record-breaking day for Netflix and the NFL, with an unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million U.S. viewers according to Nielsen.”
While the captive-audience Christmas Day games set a streaming record, the games did not set a reach record.
It’s not the first time the league and a streaming partner pushed disingenuous numbers. In 2015, the first-ever streaming game was characterized as having many more viewers than it did.
The moral of the story is maybe the broadcast networks should start releasing their reach numbers, too. The P.R. game is simple. Find a way to come up with a number that is bigger than any other number, lead with that one, and hope that enough subservient members of the media will swallow the hook.
