With the NFL aiming to make the sport a truly global phenomenon, it has taken several steps to achieve this goal. International games at stadiums around the world have been a great way to generate fan interest, as a new audience is exposed to regular-season games throughout the season.
However, one of the bigger shifts came with the gravitation towards digital streaming. With a worldwide audience watching simultaneously, the broadcast has allowed the league to reach an even wider audience. Unfortunately, not all of their experiments, as their Christmas Games deal with Netflix, are going over well with the established fan base.
Fans Remain Critical of the Netflix Christmas Game Broadcast
After Amazon Prime took over Thursday Night Football broadcasts, Peacock made a major play with the Wild Card Round games of the playoffs. Then, a blockbuster deal came through with the OTT giant for a special Christmas Day broadcast.
Spanning three years, with a $150 million annual paycheck, it gave Netflix exclusive streaming rights to the games on the holiday. However, their second attempt, in 2025, isn’t going over well with the fans.
After an NFC East showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders, a much more pivotal matchup came up between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings.
With the Lions trying to hang onto a playoff berth, it was a do-or-die situation for them. Unfortunately, rather than focus on the game itself, the broadcast kept shifting to interviews of various legends, including Detroit legend Barry Sanders.
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As Jake Asman of ESPN New York complained on X, “Why would Netflix have an interview in the middle of the game with Barry Sanders? Completely unnecessary.” With a video interview on, it covered the entire screen, taking away from the experience of the game.
Now Cris Carter with a bad angle. We have been using Zoom and Teams for years. Will a producer PLEASE step up and have these guys frame their shots. https://t.co/5G3YkdFSAX
— Jeff Snyder (@RealJeffSnyder) December 25, 2025
Asman wasn’t the only one, though, who saw the problem with the feed. “That Franchise Guy,” as he’s commonly known, Marcus Whittman, was fed up with the broadcast as well. “Like seriously, this is an awesome drive, why are we in Barry Sanders’ living room listening to his pride as a father?”
The problem was pretty straightforward, as Vikings beat writer Will Ragatz explained, “Netflix needs to scrap the Zoom interviews during live play. They’re legends, but people tune in to watch the games, not hear what Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders have to say.”
Netflix needs to scrap the Zoom interviews during live play. They’re legends, but people tune in to watch the games, not hear what Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders have to say.
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) December 25, 2025
Despite the game being tied up at seven apiece, Eddie Radosevich of On3 criticized the product on display. “Let’s just air out all of the grievances while we can. Hey Netflix, your football product is terrible,” he wrote on X. “Please stop while you’re behind.”
Former ESPN reporter Ed Werder was also not happy with the quality of Netflix’s coverage. “These former player Zoom interviews while game is being played are a terrible idea,” he wrote on X.
Fortunately for fans, the final game of the day, between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, will be available on Amazon Prime Video. Hopefully, they will get to experience a better broadcast than the one they got with Netflix.
