Netflix is hosting the NFL and Beyoncé. But is its tech ready for prime time?

Is the king of streaming ready for some football?

For the first time, Netflix is ​​set to host the NFL’s two marquee Christmas Day games: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1pm ET, followed by the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans at 4:30pm and will be headlined by Beyoncé. First half. Show during the final game, featuring her first live performance of tracks from her country album “Cowboy Carter.”

The games are a major test for the streaming giant, as it doubles down on its live event programming efforts and aims to provide its more than 280 million subscribers with real-time content that was previously the exclusive domain of traditional TV networks. But amid the uproar, the company is facing questions about whether it has the ability to broadcast these events without technical glitches.

These concerns were underscored during the highly publicized boxing match between retired pro Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul. Netflix described the November 15 game as the most-streamed sporting event of all time, peaking at 65 million simultaneous streams. But many viewers were frustrated by buffering issues during live streaming.

“Glitch is a generous way to put it,” said Patrick Crakes, a media consultant and former Fox Sports executive.

Likewise, the “Love Is Blind” reunion special was postponed in April 2023 after what a senior label executive described as a technical “bug” that was mistakenly introduced in an attempt to improve the live broadcast after Chris Rock’s platform went live. -Follow up on the previous month’s comedy.

“We have not met the standards we expect of ourselves to serve our members,” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said on an earnings call last year.

In the lead-up to the big NFL games, Netflix said it studied issues from previous live events and made the necessary adjustments. The adjustments include relying on third-party providers like Charter Communications and Comcast, which give Netflix additional capacity, according to sources familiar with the matter. (Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)

The NFL’s media operation, which has a three-year deal with Netflix to stream some games, feels confident about the streaming platform’s bandwidth.

“I think the evolution of the medium has gotten there,” Brian Rolapp, the university’s chief media and business officer, told CNBC. “And I think they are taking all the necessary steps to have a wonderful Christmas day.”

Netflix isn’t the only major streaming service to delve deeper into highlights that were previously carried on broadcast or cable networks.

Amazon Prime Video has the exclusive streaming rights to the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” Disney+ simulcasts sports events through ESPN and Warner Bros. The Max app streams CNN news and NBA games that used to run strictly on TNT. Peacock, the platform owned and operated by NBCUniversal, attracted a large audience this summer as the live streaming home of the Paris Olympics.

Netflix has more high-profile live events on the calendar, including weekly World Wrestling Entertainment “Raw” shows that begin streaming in less than two weeks. Then, in 2027 and 2031, Netflix will be home to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Netflix has also shown interest in live streaming Hollywood award shows; The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards aired on the platform in late February.

“I think everyone…is going to have to get used to finding their content across multiple different distribution platforms,” said Krekes, the former Fox Sports executive.