Netflix's first NFL Christmas Day doubleheader ended up being successful globally.
The Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 31.3 million while Kansas City’s 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 30 million worldwide, according to Netflix’s first-party data released on Tuesday.
The two games are also the most streamed in NFL history in the U.S.
The Ravens-Texans contest has an updated average of 27.2 million with Chiefs-Steelers coming in at 25.8 million, according to Nielsen and Netflix.
Both NFL games surpassed the previous mark of 23 million for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs on Peacock.
Nielsen also said there were 65 million U.S. viewers who tuned in for at least one minute of one of the two games, making it Netflix's most-watched Christmas Day.
Netflix and the NFL said viewers from 218 countries and territories tuned in to at least one of the games.
It was also a nice rebound for Netflix after widespread streaming problems during the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on Nov. 14. The only noticeable technical glitch was the stream not going to live action and starting at the beginning whenever viewers tuned in.
“In terms of the big picture, it went as well as we could have hoped,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix's vice president of nonfiction series and sports. “Given the weight of expectations, especially coming off a fight, I think we acquitted ourselves as well as we could have hoped. I’m glad that the narrative changed and there was at least an acknowledgment that we didn’t run into any of those issues that plagued us before.”
The Chiefs-Steelers game was in the daily top 10 in 72 countries with high viewership in Canada, Germany, Ireland and Britain. Ravens-Texans was in the daily top 10 in 62 countries with highs in Australia, Austria and Mexico.
The viewer figures include the audience on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in on CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.
The NFL’s Christmas numbers decreased from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when something goes from broadcast to streaming.
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 on CBS.
This was the first of a three-year partnership between Netflix and the NFL for Christmas Day games. Netflix will have at least one next season, but there is the possibility of another doubleheader since the holiday falls on a Thursday in 2025.
That would make three games on Christmas next year since Amazon Prime Video has the Thursday night package. The NFL has had three Thanksgiving Day games since 2006, so it would not be unusual.
“This proves a couple of things. One, that Christmas Day as an event, and then I think with our reach and the production partners that we had in terms of execution (CBS, NFL Network and EverWonder Studio) that we did create something that was both buzzy and with high engagement,” Riegg said.
The Christmas Day success also gives Netflix momentum going into the new year. Its worldwide partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment will begin on Monday when “Monday Night Raw” moves to the streaming service.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce speak after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Fans watch players warm up before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
An NFL candy cane patch is seen on Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Devontez Walker's jersey before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, left, and quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) are interviewed by Netflix reporter Jamie Erdahl after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The pilot of a small plane attempted to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff before crashing through the roof of a building in Southern California, according to air traffic control audio that includes panicked gasping and a woman’s voice saying, “Oh my God,” moments before the crash.
The crash Thursday left two people dead and 19 injured. Authorities haven't yet identified the dead or confirmed whether they were on the plane.
The plane had just taken off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport when the pilot told the air traffic control tower, “Immediate landing required.”
The pilot initially told the air traffic controller that he planned to land on Runway 6. The air traffic controller then told another aircraft to turn away from that area and told the pilot he could land on either Runway 6 or 24. The pilot responded that he was going to land on Runway 24 instead. Moments later, panicked gasping and an “Oh my God” could be heard just before the audio went quiet.
Federal investigators said the aircraft asked for a return to the airport at about 900 feet (274 meters). It crashed about 1,000 feet (305 meters) short of Runway 24, through a sprawling furniture manufacturing building owned by Michael Nicholas Designs.
According to a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report, the aircraft crashed under “unknown circumstances.” The plane is registered to a resident of Huntington Beach.
Eleven people were taken to hospitals, while eight were treated and released at the scene, police said. The injuries ranged from minor to very serious, said Michael Meacham, Fullerton deputy chief of fire operations. The two people who died were believed to have been on the plane and have not been identified.
Security camera footage from Rucci Forged, a wheel manufacturer across the street, shows the plane was tilted on its side as it dove into the building, causing a fiery explosion and a black plume of smoke.
Chris Villalobos, an airport operations worker, said the airplane’s owner was a regular at the airport with his own hangar and had frequently taken off from there.
The FAA identified the plane as a single-engine, four-seat Van’s RV-10, a popular home-built airplane sold in kit form. Investigators said the aircraft was built in 2011.
The airport in Fullerton has one runway and a heliport. Metrolink, a regional train line, is nearby and flanks a residential neighborhood and commercial warehouse buildings.
The Fullerton City Council posted a statement on social media calling the crash a “solemn tragedy.”
“The City of Fullerton is committed to providing support for all those affected and working with the agencies involved to uncover the details of this incident,” Mayor Fred Jung said in the statement. “We are grateful for the strength of our community and the compassion we show one another in times of crisis.”
Another four-seat plane crashed into a tree a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) from the airport in November while making an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, The Orange County Register reported. Both people on board suffered moderate injuries.
Fullerton is a city of about 140,000 people about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
People stand outside of a building where a plane crash occurred Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Workers stand near police lines at the scene of a small plane crash, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
A firefighter enters a building where a plane crash occurred Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Firefighter stage outside a building where a plane crash occurred Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Firefighter walk down a ladder outside a building where a plane crash occurred Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Firefighters load a person onto an ambulance after a small plane crashed into a commercial building on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Firefighters stage outside a building where a plane crash occurred, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Firefighters respond to a commercial building where a small plane crashed on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A woman is carried on a stretcher near the site of a plane crash, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
