Netflix Will NOT Offer the NFL Christmas Games In 4K

TV Answer Man, do you know if Netflix will have the NFL games on Christmas in 4K or HD? — Gene, Pittsburgh.

Gene, on Christmas, Netflix will have the exclusive TV rights to the Kansas Chiefs-Pittsburgh Steelers game at 1 p.m. ET and the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texas matchup at 4:30 p.m. ET. This will be Netflix’s first broadcast of an NFL game, and the doubleheader will be produced for the streamer by CBS.

So, will CBS do the games in 4K for Netflix?

I asked Julie Frazier, a Netflix spokeswoman, via e-mail in mid-November that very question and her response was: “Yes, if they have Premium membership and a 4K supported device.”

I then wrote an article with Frazier’s confirmation that Netflix would offer the games in 4K. However, a few days later, I had some doubts about her answer. I can’t explain why. Just a gut feeling. But I was concerned that she didn’t understand the complexity of doing a 4K broadcast compared to a HD one and perhaps she just assumed Netflix would do the games in 4K because the streamer had a 4K plan, the Premium membership.

I followed up with another e-mail inquiry to her: Will the 4K games be in native 4K or upscaled 4K?

She did not respond. And that concerned me even more. So, a few days later, I asked her via e-mail again to confirm the 4K broadcast. Again, she did not respond.

I thought she possibly didn’t answer because I was being a pest (I can be) so I decided to wait until we got closer to Christmas to ask again. But this time, I would ask another Netflix spokesperson, Gianina Thompson, to get a fresh take. I asked Gianina this week and she first responded she would check. Then, a few hours later, Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou replied:

“Hi Phillip – It won’t be offered in 4K.”

I’m confident now that MoMo’s statement is the correct one, that Netflix will NOT offer the Christmas doubleheader in 4K. She said she checked it out and got the answer. I don’t know why Julie said yes in November, but I suspect she was either provided wrong information or she just assumed it would be 4K. It happens in the communications game. No one is perfect.

If anything changes on this, I will certainly provide an update here. But I don’t suspect it will.

Gene, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.