Alright, listen up, because this Wednesday was something new for NFL fans — Netflix streamed a couple of games, Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans, marking the first time the platform has ever done such a thing. And according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, it's all part of the league's grand plan to swipe Christmas from the NBA's grasp.
Now, as per Florio's insights, the streaming went off without a hitch - no major complaints about buffering, no outages, no blurry images. But here's the kicker: was it a success in terms of viewership? That's still up in the air. We won't know until we see how those numbers stack up against what they might have been on a traditional three-letter network.
But from the NFL's angle? Florio says it was a slam dunk the second the ink dried on that contract. For an extra $150 million, they've taken games from the Sunday lineup and handed them to Netflix, not one of the usual suspects in broadcast land. It's a strategic move, eyeing up the future when those TV rights are up for grabs, potentially crowding out the old guard.
Netflix, for its part, came out swinging, claiming these games were the second-most streamed live sports event on their platform, only behind the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul circus, according to Florio. But don't let that number fool you. As Florio puts it, this claim means squat when you consider Netflix isn't exactly a sports streaming veteran. If these NFL games hadn't come in second, that would've been the real headline - a colossal fail.
So, while some in the media are out there tooting the horn for Netflix's streaming success, Florio reminds us to keep it all in perspective. The NFL might have scored a quick win with this deal, but the real test is how it plays out in the long game of broadcasting rights.
