So Riegg and Bela Bajaria, another longtime TV executive who joined Netflix around the same time and is now its chief content officer, began making the case around Netflix for why it should invest in the tech required to make live content work.

Netflix will have one of its biggest days since the site launched in 1998 when it carries two NFL games for the first time on Christmas

A pair of Christmas Day games on Netflix will help the NFL build on its international footprint, league officials say, as the most popular professional league in the United States hopes to harness the streaming platform's global appeal.