One of the newest entrants to upfront week, Netflix hosted its event at the Perelman Performing Arts Center on Wednesday afternoon in New York City, unveiling its two NFL Christmas Day matchups and an expanding slate of sports programming.
Ahead of the NFL’s full schedule announcement later Wednesday, Netflix brought out Commissioner Roger Goodell to reveal its Christmas Day games: Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings.
Goodell donned a red Santa Claus coat for the reveal, saying that “last year, viewers in 218 countries watched our first-ever worldwide distribution of an NFL game, two games on Christmas Day, on this great service. It’s not just about the games themselves. Netflix has always done a great job of taking you behind-the-scenes with some of the biggest stars and the most successful teams in the league. And this year, they’re going to do it again.”
CBS Sports will produce the games, with NFL Media handling pregame, postgame and halftime studio shows. Talent will be revealed at a later date.
Last year’s games averaged 26.5M viewers in the U.S., according to data from Nielsen, helped by what has now been dubbed the “Beyonce Bowl.”
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos joked to SBJ the company’s plans to top Beyonce would be a surprise, before saying the halftime performance hasn’t been booked.
In a second surprise appearance, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined the stage with Goodell to announce a fall release of the documentary “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” and a June debut of the second season of “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.”
“I would have never dreamed that you and I [would] be standing here and talking this story about our series with Netflix and our games with Netflix. ... It’s so much more than I could have ever dreamed,” said Jones. “Oh, what a journey. ... I haven’t felt like I’ve worked a day in my life. I got to be around some of the finest people in the world.”
The Cowboys cheerleaders closed out the presentation with a surprise performance, with blue and silver confetti raining down on the crowd.
Other sports announcements include “Prime Time” from SMAC Entertainment, Skydance Sports and NFL Media. The three-part, 60-minute docuseries follows Deion Sanders, which the company said explores “deeply personal truths,” including his relationship with his biological father, surviving an attempted suicide, near-death health scares and more.
Other sports projects include the second season of “Quarterback” and the previously announced rematch between boxers Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano July 11 at Madison Square Garden.
Unlike Disney on Tuesday, where thousands packed the Javits Center, Netflix opted for a more intimate presentation with about 500 people.
A reception followed, where Netflix executives stuck around to mingle, including Chief Content Officer (and SBJ Executive of the Year nominee) Bela Bajaria, CMO Marian Lee and President of Advertising Amy Reinhard.
