Netflix Kicks Off NFL Christmas Games: Behind the Scenes With the Streaming Giant and Its Production Partners

The streaming giant has recruited CBS Sports, EverWonder Studio, NFL Media, and NEP Group

The next chapter in the streaming sports revolution takes place on Christmas Day, when Netflix delivers a pair of NFL games exclusively to millions of fans around the globe. With expectations high following last month’s Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight and the company’s recent acquisition of the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup rights, Netflix is pulling out all the stops for Wednesday’s productions.

“The NFL on Christmas is a special day for Netflix and its viewers,” says Jonathan Mussman, VP Production, Nonfiction & Live. “Our primary goal is to deliver a broadcast that will captivate audiences globally with enhancements that we all have become known for – entertainment, quality graphics, and high-level production.”

Going Big: Netflix to Deploy ‘Toolsets Typically Reserved for the Largest Games’

The streaming giant has recruited a team of key partners to pull it off, including CBS Sports, EverWonder Studio, NFL Media, and NEP Group. With some of the largest live-streaming audiences in history expected to tune in for the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans Christmas Day games, Netflix and its production comrades have teed up a Super Bowl-level presentation.

“This is the first time a single day of regular season games has been offered to a single broadcaster globally,” he adds. “Traditionally, the existing broadcast partners have a season-long commitment to broadcast NFL games. They typically save their bells and whistles for playoffs or the Super Bowl. We plan on providing enhanced football coverage using toolsets typically reserved for the largest games.”

Netflix is known for its cinematic approach to production and the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans Christmas Day games will be no different. With more than 100 cameras deployed in total across the two Christmas Day games, the entirety of Netflix’s onsite presence for the pre, half, and post coverage from Pittsburgh and Houston will use the latest Sony HDC-F5500 cameras with Fujinon cinema lenses. The halftime performance in Houston will utilize Sony Venice 2s with a variety of cinema glass.

EverWonder Studio: ‘The Glue That Ties Everything Together’

In partnership with the NFL, Netflix has brought the sports entertainment production company EverWonder Studio (who also worked on the Jake Paul – Mike Tyson fight last month) to help establish the streaming giant’s approach to football coverage. Under the direction of Ian Orefice and Michael Antinoro, EverWonder has been enlisted to help create the global look and feel of NFL Christmas Day games on Netflix.

“We have brought in EverWonder Studio to be the proverbial glue that ties everything together,” says Mussman. “From getting conversations started with the various NFL teams to tying in technical operations and equipment, the EverWonder team has helped us weave the fabric of our day.

“They have really helped us focus on building so much of the universe in a short amount of time,” he adds, “helping us establish the look, feel, and sound of how the NFL will play on Netflix. They bring a wealth of creative spark and intuition.”

CBS Sports and NFL Media: Helping Netflix ‘Chart the Course’ of Its NFL Coverage

Netflix also engaged with CBS Sports to provide full production services on the ground at each of the games.

“[CBS Sports] has been immensely helpful in helping us chart the course for our version of NFL coverage,” says Mussman. “The partnership is extremely strong and supportive as they’re such specialists when it comes to producing riveting NFL programming. Their willingness to jump in headfirst has allowed us to start from a place of experience, rather than building from the ground floor.”

“We worked hand-in-hand with [CBS Sports’] superior graphics team to help shorthand the creation of our original package,” he adds. “In addition, they were able to communicate best-in-class workflows for operators and helped our creative team generate ideas that can

Meanwhile, NFL Media will produce the studio-based shoulder programming and assist with trafficking the day through their state-of-the-art facility in Los Angeles. This includes helping to create unique Netflix international coverage of the games for members outside of the US.

NEP Group: Providing ‘Global Infrastructure to Map out the Ideal Broadcast Ops Plan’

NEP Group has served as Netflix’s primary technical partner for network operations on a multitude of live streaming events – both inside and outside of the sports realm. NEP will continue in its role hosting the main broadcast streaming operations center in conjunction with Netflix’s team of in-house engineers and specialists.

NEP Supershooter 63 and Supershooter 4 are in Pittsburgh to handle the game and pre/halftime/postgame shows, while F&F Productions’ GTX 20 and NEP Denali Summit will hande the game and halftime show in Houston. While a majority of programming will be done onsite, there will be a few elements that will be operated remotely, including Pittsburgh and Houston pre/half/post cameras, a limited number of replay sources into the CBS production, and the multi-language production.

On the multi-language production, Netflix will rely on a REMI workflow to accommodate four additional languages of commentary with established sports announcers in-country, which will allow true international member engagement — watching the NFL in their native languages.

“From a transmission and encoding standpoint,” says Mussman. “NEP will provide its global infrastructure to map out the ideal broadcast operational plan, ensuring our broadcast engineering team has the highest quality audio and video program signals to compress and encode for our platform.”

Beyond the Gridiron: “It Will Be Obvious to the Viewer How Special We Feel This Day Is at Netflix’

Outside of the game and studio coverage, Parkwood Entertainment and Jesse Collins Entertainment are engaged as the halftime show producers for Beyoncé’s highly-anticipated performance in Houston, which Mussman says will be “at a level on par with an NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show.”

“We are going to add an entertainment element that our members have come to expect from us,” says Mussman. “From anthems to show opens to a marquee halftime performance produced using the latest in cinema technology, it will be obvious to the viewer how special we feel this day is here at Netflix.”

The On-Air Look: Creating a ‘Visual Style so That NFL on Christmas is Synonymous With Netflix’

Netflix will also unveil a brand-new graphics package for the pair of Christmas Day games that Mussman says will serve as “the cornerstone for our coverage in subsequent years.” In addition to collaborating with CBS Sports, Netflix brought in graphics vendors 2Fresh and Girraphic to design and buildout the new package, which will include extensive use of augmented reality graphics.

“Using the proper tools to tell each story is paramount to the way we designed our coverage for the day,” says Mussman. “We’ve joined up two premiere graphics vendors in 2Fresh and Girraphic to help establish our visual style so that NFL on Christmas is synonymous with Netflix.”

Netflix has also consulted and collaborated with top sports executives like former NFL Media SVP and Head of Content Mark Quenzel, former ESPN VP/Production and Monday Night Football Producer Jay Rothman, and longtime ESPN MNF Operations Producer Matthew Kwok, among others, in helping architect its approach. Netflix programming is led by Brandon Riegg and Gabe Spitzer with all Production & Post operations under Mussman’s leadership.

From a visual standpoint, Netflix will be adding visuals that match with its popular sports series programming including Quarterback, Drive to Survive, and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: America’s Sweethearts.

Netflix’s Live Streaming Oddyssey Continues: From Standup Specials to NFL Games and Beyond 

As Netflix heads into Wednesday’s action, Mussman says there are a number of goals and metrics that Netflix will use to success on Christmas Day.

“On the more traditional side of things, global member engagement, execution of a solid creative and production plan, and a memorable day of sports and entertainment,” he says. “From a brand perspective, growth in appreciation for the NFL from the international community is a big driver of delivering higher quality localized content when it comes to languages. We will build on this in subsequent years, as the NFL continues to expand on the international stage.”

While the NFL productions mark a culmination of months of efforts for Netflix, it also appears to be just one episode in the company’s evolving live-sports odyssey. Case in point, the company announced on Friday that it had acquired exclusive U.S. domestic rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup. Nonetheless, Mussman is using Christmas Day as a defining moment to reflect on just how far Netflix has come in its live-streaming aspirations.

“It’s pretty astonishing how much has been accomplished since our first venture in the world of live TV through the Chris Rock stand-up special,” says Mussman “By leaning into our unique Netflix culture and understanding what our members want, we’ve taken on the challenge of bringing our audience a unique experience by providing a swath of live entertainment, including two amazing live NFL games on Christmas Day.”