Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood
If a Beyoncé halftime show was on your wish list, it looks like Christmas came early this year. Yesterday, Netflix announced that the 32-time Grammy winner will be performing during NFL Christmas Gameday at Houston’s NRG Stadium on December 25.
The announcement comes as Netflix is increasingly courting a live viewing audience through streamed events including NFL games, WWE fights, and influencer-led boxing matchups like Friday’s brawl between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Here’s everything you need to know about Beyoncé’s upcoming performance—and what it means for the titan streaming service:
When is Beyoncé performing?
On December 25, Netflix is set to host two games: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET, and the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET.
According to a press release, “In keeping with the NFL’s long-standing holiday tradition, the Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing team cities and be available on U.S. mobile devices with NFL+”.
Queen Bey will take the stage at the second of these games in her hometown of Houston. Netflix has shared that the details of her performance are “under wraps,” but that fans can expect some “special guests who are featured on the Cowboy Carter album.” The album’s extensive credits list means it’s tricky to guess exactly who that might be, though some of its guest stars include Shaboozey, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, and Dolly Parton.
What does this mean for Netflix?
The Christmas special will be Netflix’s official NFL broadcast debut. In May, the company announced that it had signed a three-year deal for global streaming rights to the league’s Christmas Day games, which means that it will get to stream at least one game on December 25 in 2025 and 2026. Reportedly, Netflix paid $75 million per game this year for the privilege.
The event continues Netflix’s increasingly aggressive but sometimes technically challenged foray into livestreaming. Just last Friday, the company hosted a fight between influencer Jake Paul and former pro boxer Mike Tyson, which, the company said, pulled in a record-breaking 60 million household viewers.
Despite the impressive numbers, many viewers reported experiencing repeated glitches during the steam, with one viral tweet likening the quality to a Wii boxing match. The Verge editor Wes Davis wrote that, “For the vast majority of the 8-round match, I had to lean heavily on my brain’s ability to construct a cohesive picture from very little information to have an idea of what was going on”.
The shaky fight footage has sparked some doubts over Netflix’s ability to handle the upcoming football coverage. (Last year, the streaming service’s live reunion of Love Is Blind also experienced glitches).
For Netflix, the stakes are high: After Christmas, the company will step back into the ring with a major 10-year livestreaming deal with the WWE. Football fans—and members of the BeyHive—can only hope that Netflix gets its act together before then.
Fonte Fast Company
