Will DIRECTV Show Netflix’s NFL Christmas Games In Bars & Restaurants?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.

TV Answer Man, do you know if DIRECTV will have the Netflix games in the bars on Christmas? — Joey, Yonkers, New York. 

Joey, Netflix on Christmas day 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.

But will the games be available in bars and restaurants via DIRECTV’s business unit? The satcaster has provided other streaming exclusives, such as Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, YouTube’s NFL Sunday Ticket, and Apple TV+’s Major League Baseball games, via satellite to commercial venues. The partnerships have come about because all parties agreed that streaming to multiple TV sets in bars and restaurants can be technically risky. And you don’t want alcohol-fueled patrons getting upset because their game suddenly starts buffering.

But despite that technical reality, DIRECTV and Netflix have not signed an agreement that will allow the satellite TV provider’s business unit to provide the Christmas doubleheader. The only way you will be able to watch the Netflix games in a commercial venue is if it uses EverPass, the company that does stream sports to bars and restaurants.

And that’s problematic because, unlike DIRECTV, EverPass does not publicize which establishments use their service. So, if you want to watch in a specific bar, restaurant or hotel, you’ll have to hope it gets EverPass.

The good news here is that fewer people will be in a bar or restaurant since it’s Christmas day. But if that’s your plan, you might be out of luck if you want to watch the Xmas doubleheader.

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

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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television 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 TV. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.