Chiefs fans have been good this year, Santa. So, for Christmas, no Netflix buffering

All Chiefs fans want for Christmas is no buffering.

Well, and maybe a pair of throwback Chiefs’ Zubaz. But the Santa wish list starts with an uninterrupted broadcast of the game at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday at noon on a new outlet.

The game will be the first ever streamed by Netflix, which paid the NFL $150 million for the Christmas Day double header that includes the Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans in the second contest.

The games also will be shown on local stations in the four markets — KCTV (Channel 5) in Kansas City will air the Chiefs. CBS is handling production and the NFL will be responsible for the pre and postgame shows as well as halftime.

Netflix plans a big show, almost with a Super Bowl feel. Mariah Carey will sing “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” in a pre-recorded taping before the Chiefs game, and Beyonce will perform live at halftime in the second game.

Think of the mass marketing opportunities for the NFL on the world’s largest streaming service with some 282 million subscribers in 190 nations. The games will be streamed in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. The NFL played games in Germany and Brazil as well as England last season and will play in Spain in 2025.

The NFL is new to Netflix, but not live sports. The debut came in November, a Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match, a broadcast plagued by bouts of buffering, error messages and other technical issues.

Can you imagine the outcry if the picture froze during a Patrick Mahomes pass?

The NFL said there should be no problem with the broadcast.

“We’re incredibly confident in and we feel incredibly well prepared for a great day on Christmas Day for our fans, and fans not only here but around the world, so we’re really excited about that,” NFL vice-president Hans Schroeder told ProFootballTalk.

This won’t be a one-and-done NFL experience for Netflix. This is the first of a three-year deal, and Neflix will stream at least one game on Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026.

The Chiefs have their hand up for those games. Team president Mark Donovan told The Star in November that the Chiefs would like to be a holiday regular.

“Over the next few years, we can be to Christmas what Dallas and Detroit are to Thanksgiving,” Donovan said.

On Dec. 20, Netflix announced its next sports endeavor: It will own the exclusive U.S. rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The 2027 event is set for Brazil. The next site hasn’t been determined.