The holidays are filled with cheer(s) from sports fans who got the gift of NFL and NBA matchups brought to life with tidings of brand integrations, creative crossovers and a holly jolly presentation of this year’s Christmas Day games.
From the NFL on Netflix to the NBA on ESPN, ’tis the season to put a bow on some of the last sports marketing moments of the year.
NFL Christmas on Netflix
Always an original, Netflix is turning the NFL’s Christmas Day games into a full-blown entertainment experience. Building off of last year’s success, which included 30 million global viewers and a performance by Beyoncé, this year’s gameday experience is set to be even bigger with more stars, more surprises and more brands joining the excitement.
Netflix has been promoting the live gameday event across social media platforms, in-app and with the support of the NFL and NFL teams and athletes that are a part of the day’s games. A 60-second trailer starring Netflix talent Chad Michael Murray from The Merry Gentlemen and Thing from Wednesday alongside NFL starters Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions), CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys) has been in rotation along with a teaser spot, “Twas the Night Before Gameday” narrated by Stranger Things actor David Harbour.
The Christmas Gameday live content block will feature an NFL doubleheader. The schedule includes the Dallas Cowboys versus the Washington Commanders at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the Detroit Lions versus the Minnesota Vikings at 4:30 p.m. ET. The block will kick off with a special performance by Kelly Clarkson.
This year’s halftime show, “Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party,” is presented by Tide, stars Snoop Dogg and features Grammy-winning country superstar Lainey Wilson, as well as Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind Netflix’s popular film KPop Demon Hunters, and surprise guests that will be revealed live.
Brands will be getting first downs throughout the broadcast, with sponsorships and integrations from partners including Google, Capital One Venture X, Ford and Tide. FanDuel will provide pregame betting analysis, and in-game production enhancements are sponsored by Accenture (SkyCam) and Verizon with “Christmas Connections” surprise moments featuring special NFL personalities.
Stranger Things will have a special commercial pod takeover where brands that built original campaigns with Netflix to support Season 5 — Gatorade, Tide, Target and Discover — will air these spots in a consecutive ad break, with back-to-back creative coming together to form a mini event within the game.
ESPN, Disney and the NBA ‘Dunk the Halls’
Disney is bringing viewers double the NBA buckets across its platforms.
On ESPN and ABC, the NBA is airing five games for an entire day of basketball: Cleveland Cavaliers versus New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs versus Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks versus Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves versus Denver Nuggets. The advertising lineup is stacked with a total of 84 advertisers across 40 categories running throughout the game, 47 of which are returning and 37 are new. State Farm is a presenting sponsor for the entirety of the day’s games.
Viewers can also expect to see sponsored elements from brands such as Capital One, Taco Bell, Google Gemini and NBA2K, as well as Kia’s halftime show and DraftKings Sportsbook making its debut in-game feature since the start of their partnership with ESPN earlier this month. Jordan Brand will be releasing the new Luka 5’s on Christmas Day and ESPN will be showcasing the sneaker drop during the Rockets versus Lakers game. In collaboration with Disney CreativeWorks, A24 and the NBA, a special Marty Supreme spot starring Timothée Chalamet and Metta World Peace playing table tennis with NBA team ping pong balls was created to thematically align with NBA Christmas Day games, the same day the movie is officially out in theaters.
Viewers can watch an alternative presentation of the Knicks versus Cavaliers game, titled Dunk the Halls, which will be a live animated version of the match. This special presentation will be set on “Main Street, U.S.A.” in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park and can be experienced on Disney+, ESPN2, Disney Channel, Disney XD and the ESPN app.
CGI basketball court and picture of Madison Square Garden basketball court
(Photo credit: Disney/ESPN, used with permission)
This is the NBA’s second Dunk the Halls animated telecast with Disney and part of Disney’s continued play into alt-cast innovation, following a recent telecast with the NFL for Monsters Funday Football. The technology, powered by Sony’s Beyond Sports real-time visualization and Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking, creates a mirrored experience of the game where each player appears as a motion-tracked animated version of themselves and every dunk, layup and pass from the real game in Madison Square Garden will appear live as it happens in animated form.
CGI avatar and photo of JALEN BRUNSON
(Photo credit: Disney/ESPN, used with permission)
CGI avatar and photo of DONOVAN MITCHELL
(Photo credit: Disney/ESPN, used with permission)
The Christmas Parade halftime show will feature Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale and the addition of Stitch. They will be cheering on the Knicks and Cavaliers from the sidelines.
The broadcast team will include Drew Carter as the play-by-play commentator and ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. Both Carter and McNutt will be animated alongside the characters and players, using VR technology through ESPN Edge Innovation Partner’s Meta Quest Pro headsets and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology to experience the game from “Main Street, U.S.A.” Daisy Duke will be the sideline reporter, featuring a special interview with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Santa’s Elves will serve as camera operators, and Santa himself will pilot ESPN’s “SkyCam.”
Disney advertiser State Farm will be integrated into the viewing experience with sponsorship of the “Explained” features, short clips designed to break down basketball basics.
Table set with holiday and cookies and gingerbread men and the State Farm logo
(Photo credit: Disney/ESPN, used with permission)
Disney’s synergy marketing support was a full-court press with promotion on The View, appointment setting for the game, a special segment on Good Morning America giving viewers a preview and behind-the-scenes look at the production of the game, signage across Disney Parks, fan photo opportunities at Disney Springs, and a special Dunk the Halls segment in the Disney Magical Christmas Day Parade on Christmas morning.