CASE STUDY
NFL × Netflix
Christmas Gameday 2024
Client: NFL / Netflix Year: 2024 Services: Motion Graphics · Title Design · Creative Direction
BY THE NUMBERS
65 Million
US viewers reached on Christmas Day (Nielsen)
200+
Countries where the broadcast was streamed live
#1 & #2
Most-streamed NFL games in US history
THE BRIEF
A once-in-a-generation media moment needed motion to match
Christmas Day 2024 marked the first time the NFL broadcast live games exclusively on a streaming platform. Netflix's debut as a live sports partner wasn't just a scheduling shift — it was a statement that streaming had arrived at the highest level of American sports culture.
The NFL and Netflix needed a visual identity for "NFL Christmas Gameday" that could hold its own against decades of broadcast television polish — while feeling unmistakably modern, cinematic, and worthy of the moment. Bryan Grant Studios was brought in to lead the motion graphics and title design for the broadcast package.
"Fans in all 50 states and over 200 countries around the world watched some of the league's brightest stars in a historic day for the NFL."
THE CHALLENGE
Bridging two of the world's most powerful brands
The NFL carries 104 years of visual legacy — bold, athletic, authoritative. Netflix carries a different kind of equity: global, cinematic, culturally fluid. The creative challenge was building a motion design system that could represent both simultaneously, across broadcast graphics, lower thirds, transitions, title sequences, and social content — all while standing up to 65 million sets of eyes watching live.
Speed and precision were equally critical. Live broadcast demands frame-accurate timing, instant legibility at any screen size, and zero room for error. Every graphic had to be engineered for performance as much as aesthetics.
OUR APPROACH
Motion as a language, not decoration
We approached the project with a single guiding principle: every motion element should feel like it belongs on a cinematic stage. The NFL's shield and Netflix's red are both icons. Rather than compete, we let them coexist — building a type and motion system where each brand's visual equity could breathe within a unified framework.
Typography was treated as a moving element from the start. Custom kinetic title sequences were developed for the broadcast opens, team matchup reveals, and halftime transitions — each choreographed to work in tandem with the live energy of the game itself.
DELIVERABLES
End-to-end motion production
01 Broadcast Title Sequence — Full open and close for NFL Christmas Gameday live broadcast
02 Motion Graphics Package — Matchup reveals, lower thirds, transitions, score overlays
03 Logo Animation System — Animated brand lockups for both NFL and Netflix across all uses
04 Creative Direction — Full creative oversight from concept through final broadcast delivery
THE OUTCOME
The most-watched streaming sports event in US history
The NFL Christmas Gameday broadcast on Netflix drew nearly 65 million US viewers — making the two games the most-streamed NFL games ever recorded, according to Nielsen. Both games hit #1 and #2 on Netflix's Global Top 10 for the week, reaching Top 10 rankings across more than 60 countries.
The Ravens vs. Texans game peaked at 27 million simultaneous viewers during Beyoncé's halftime performance — a moment the motion package had to frame with the same prestige as the artist herself. Netflix described Christmas 2024 as its most-watched Christmas Day in the platform's history.
This was the first year of a three-season deal between the NFL and Netflix — meaning the visual language created for this broadcast will define how the partnership is seen for years to come.
Ready to bring this level of craft to your brand?