Netflix’s first regular-season NFL game from Australia delivered an average 18.5 million U.S. viewers and 21.7 million globally, according to data from Netflix and Nielsen. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 at Melbourne Cricket Ground in a game that aired Thursday, Sept. 10 in the U.S. and Sept. 11 in Australia.
The matchup landed among the three most-streamed Thursday primetime NFL games so far. U.S. viewing peaked at 21.3 million between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. ET, while the telecast became the most-watched football game ever in Australia.
The demo number that buyers care about
For media planners and sports advertisers, the under-35 audience is more telling than the total-cume headline. The game averaged 4 million U.S. viewers in the 18-34 demo, the highest non-Christmas streaming delivery for an NFL regular-season game. Netflix now holds the top four highest-rated regular-season streamed NFL games in that demo, including Christmas windows.
For buyers, the practical takeaway is to evaluate these windows as under-35 reach vehicles rather than simply comparing total minutes to broadcast NFL windows.
- U.S. average: 18.5 million viewers
- Global average: 21.7 million viewers
- U.S. peak: 21.3 million in a 15-minute window
- Attendance: 100,021, seventh-most attended regular-season game in NFL history
- Social: 340 million impressions and 14.5 million engagements
What it signals for the NFL and Netflix
The Australia opener is not Netflix’s biggest NFL audience. Last season’s Christmas Gameday matchup between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings reached 27.5 million U.S. viewers, and the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Commanders Christmas game averaged 19.9 million. But an international, Thursday-primetime streamed game drawing 4 million in the 18-34 demo is a different kind of result: it shows the league can create a young-audience event outside the Sunday afternoon U.S. window.
For the NFL, the Melbourne game also provides a proof point for global expansion. The official attendance of 100,021 ranks as the seventh-most attended regular-season game in league history, and the social footprint across Netflix and NFL channels extends the event beyond the live telecast.
Next up for Netflix’s NFL slate
Netflix’s next NFL window is the Thanksgiving Eve game between the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams. The streamer will then carry a Christmas doubleheader: Packers-Bears and Buffalo Bills-Denver Broncos. Netflix is also set to host a Week 18 matchup on Jan. 9, 2027, and the annual NFL Honors awards show during Super Bowl week.
Source: TheWrap
