Why Beyoncé Now Owns Christmas Day
If you don’t like the conversation, change it. That’s what Netflix just did by announcing that Beyoncé will perform on Christmas Day at one of two NFL games that Netflix is streaming.
This would be big news under any circumstance. But the timing of the announcement on the evening of November 17 shifts attention to Queen Bey and away from Netflix’s glitch-filled November 15 Jake Paul/Mike Tyson boxing spectacle that triggered a firestorm of anger on social media.
Beyoncé will perform during Netflix’s second Christmas Day game, with the Houston Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens at 4:30 PM ET. The event will be fraught with cultural significance. The halftime show will feature the first live performance of songs from Beyoncé’s groundbreaking album Cowboy Carter — in her hometown of Houston, too. The genre-bending Cowboy Carter garnered Beyoncé 11 nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, leading the pack and extending her record as the most-nominated artist in Grammy history.
Among those Grammy nominations is one she has never won: Album of the Year. Her appearance on Christmas Day will pave the way for her to finally win this coveted honor. Queen Bey isn’t leaving anything to chance after losing an Album of the Year Grammy four times. She will also send a “Can you top this?” message to Kendrick Lamar, who is performing at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9, 2025.
Everyone will win on Christmas Day: Beyoncé, the NFL (one of the world’s most powerful brands), and Netflix. Netflix has now upstaged Amazon, streaming an NFL game for the second year in a row on Black Friday with no halftime show announced.
Netflix says it has sold out of advertising inventory during its two Christmas Day NFL games, with FanDuel and Verizon among the sponsors. And Beyoncé will attract viewers who otherwise might not have paid attention to the game, just as Taylor Swift has done by attending Kansas City Chiefs games. Thanks to Beyoncé, Christmas just came early for Netflix, the NFL, its advertising partners, and fans.
