2024 NFL schedule will have Christmas doubleheader, new streaming-only games
2024 NFL schedule will have Christmas doubleheader, new streaming-only games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
In the heart of the NFL offseason, you might be desperate for some football. But you won't have that problem later this year.
Hans Schroeder -- the NFL's executive vice president of media distribution -- announced a series of changes Tuesday regarding the 2024 schedule.
The league is expanding to have games on untraditional days of the week, including a Wednesday and a Friday. Plus, there will be more streaming-only games after Peacock aired the first exclusively-streamed playoff game last season.
Here's a roundup of all the schedule announcements from Tuesday:
Christmas Day doubleheader
The biggest news from Tuesday was that the league isn't backing off from Christmas Day games.
Last season, there was a trio of games on the holiday, which fell on a Monday. Even with Christmas on a Wednesday in 2024, the league will still hold a pair of games.
"From what we've seen the last couple years is really some unprecedented growth, and not just on Christmas, on Thanksgiving, too," Schroeder said. "The last couple of years have had the highest-regular season game ever viewed in the regular season. That mindset, that opportunity, that belief we have that football brings people together -- that's even truer on these big holidays that happen throughout the year.
"When we saw the viewership from this past year, really our fans spoke. We certainly saw and believe that they are very much enjoying and wanting NFL football on Christmas."
The four teams that are chosen to play on Christmas will play on Saturday the week prior, giving players four days of rest -- similar to the Sunday to Thursday turnover.
Eagles open in Brazil to stream exclusively on Peacock
The Philadelphia Eagles will open the 2024 season in São Paulo, Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6 -- the first Friday night game on opening weekend in over 50 years.
While their opponent is not yet decided, we do know that the game will be exclusively streamed on Peacock.
Every game of Sunday Night Football is simulcasted on Peacock, but the streaming service didn't have an exclusive postseason game until last season. The wild card matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins saw record streaming numbers.
The Week 1 game will be available on NBC10 in the Philadelphia area, as well as on local cable in the market of the Eagles' opponent.
Wild card game to stream exclusively on Prime Video
Peacock won't be the only streaming service with an exclusive game next season.
Amazon took over exclusive streaming rights to Thursday Night Football for the 2022 season. Now, after two years of TNF streaming on Prime Video, the service is getting postseason game.
"As media consumption habits evolve, the NFL continues to work with our partners to put our games on digital platforms where our fans are increasingly spending their time," Schroeder said. "The viewership success of both Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and the historic wild card game on Peacock last season are strong indicators our streaming distribution is resonating with our fans."
Amazon will gain the rights to a wild card round matchup, which will be decided once the postseason field is set at the end of the year.
