Netflix has entered the high-stakes world of NFL broadcasting, but let's be honest — the streaming giant is under some serious pressure, wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
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And it's true. With Christmas Day games featuring the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans on the horizon, Netflix can't afford to fumble. Yet, after the chaotic streaming disaster that was Friday's Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match, both Netflix and the NFL have reason to sweat, Florio noted.
The NFL, of course, is putting on a brave face. They're saying all the right things. But behind closed doors? You'd better believe there are contingency plans being drawn up. And if there aren't, there should be, Florio wrote. Netflix's entrance into live sports is bold, but the platform isn't exactly battle-tested in this arena. Meanwhile, football fans have come to expect seamless broadcasts. Sputtering streams, buffering, or outright failures just won't cut it.
Here's the good news: CBS is already producing both games for Netflix. The solution, if disaster strikes, seems obvious, as Florio passed along. If Netflix's stream falters, CBS should be ready to flip a switch and beam the games through its traditional affiliates. It's not revolutionary — it's common sense. The infrastructure is already in place, and CBS has decades of experience delivering the NFL product fans demand.
Look, the NFL is taking a gamble by putting these marquee matchups on a platform that's 0-for-1 in handling high-profile live events. That doesn't mean the experiment can't work, but it's no time for blind faith, either. With millions of viewers tuning in during the holiday, expectations will be sky-high. For fans, a flawless broadcast isn't a luxury; it's a necessity.
So, Netflix needs to pull out all the stops. But the NFL? They need a "break glass in case of emergency" plan. If Netflix stumbles, CBS should be the safety net. Because at the end of the day, this is the NFL — and the league can't afford anything less than perfection.
