The NFL scheduled two games on Christmas and it was broadcast on Netflix.
Kansas City took on the Steelers and the Ravens took on the Texans.
Both games were a blowout.
A lot of talk is about Netflix and how the broadcast was.
Below, we will discuss what Netflix got right and where it went wrong.
What Netflix Got Right
Netflix got two big games for their first ever time broadcasting NFL games.
The streaming was smooth and did not freeze. It was much improved after the Tyson vs. Paul debacle.
Netflix managed to get two big games to broadcast which was a success for them, despite the games being blowouts.
Getting Beyonce to perform at halftime during the Ravens vs Texans game was a massive get for Netflix. They are turning the halftime performance into a special that will be on Netflix.
Netflix got some of the biggest names in sports media to cover the game. Some were good decisions and some were not, more on the not good below.
Melanie Collins as the sideline reporter and Ian Eagle as the play-by-play were great choices for the Chiefs-Steelers game while Noah Eagle (play-by-play) and Greg Olson (color commentator) were good choices for the Ravens-Texans game.
While Netflix got a lot right, they also got a lot wrong.
What Netflix Got Wrong
While the streaming itself was smooth, there was an issue some encountered. Anytime you would leave the telecast and go back to watch live, it glitched and went back to the very beginning of the broadcast. It would take quite some time to fast-forward to get back live.
While Netflix got some of the biggest names in sports media, some were not needed and some were the wrong choices.
The panel they had in Los Angeles, featuring Kay Adams (FanDuel) as the host, Drew Brees, Robert Griffin III, Mina Kimes (ESPN), and Manti Te’o (NFL Network) was completely unnecessary. They did not gel and it felt like they were just thrown together. It was not needed.
Three of the four sideline reporters (Stacey Dales, Jamie Erdahl, and Steve Wyche) are not true sideline reporters. They do not perform sideline duties weekly. If they perform sideline duties for a game NFL Network broadcasts, it is only a few games a year. Melanie Collins showed how much better she was than the other three as Melanie is a true sideline reporter and has been with CBS for years performing sideline duties weekly. Netflix should have gone with Pittsburgh’s own and CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala to pair with CBS’ Melanie Collins for the Steelers-Chiefs game. ESPN’s Lisa Salters (MNF weekly sideline reporter) and Laura Rutledge, who has done MNF sideline reporter duties five times this year and has done sideline reporting for college football should have been the pair for the Ravens-Texans game.
Instead of having Laura Rutledge have a small panel with the McCourty brothers, they could have eliminated this as well and had Laura be a sideline reporter.
Instead of having JJ Watt and Nate Burleson be color commentators for the Steelers-Chiefs game, they should have just been analysts during commercial breaks. Ian Eagle works well with Charles Davis on CBS and they should have been the pair to call the Steelers-Chiefs game.
Netflix needs to cut back on the talent, choose more wisely for the talent they select, and fix the issue of leaving the screen and trying to go back and watch live. However, NFL fans should get used to watching games on Netflix as this will likely continue in the future.
