NFL fans are divided on Beyonce’s Christmas Day performance for Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday which will feature matchups between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, followed by the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans. While the ‘Bey’hive is certainly excited about Beyonce’s show, some NFL fans want the league to distance itself from Beyonce and Jay-Z amid the ongoing allegations against the latter. But irrespective of how her show is received, it’s clear that Beyonce’s X-Mas Day set will bring about some changes in festivity-oriented sporting events.
Beyonce & Mariah Carey’s Netflix Double Bonanza Can Change Viewership For The NFL
Netflix is set to make history on Christmas Day, as it’s set to broadcast two live NFL games for the first time. The NFL’s Christmas activity will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET, but before the kickoff between Pittsburgh and Kansas City, Mariah Carey will open the show with a taped performance of her iconic festive single, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Beyoncé’s performance will take place during the second half of Netflix’s two Christmas Day games when the Houston Texans play against the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium at 4:30 p.m. ET.
A few weeks ago, Beyonce’s husband and rap mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter was hit with a civil lawsuit claiming he assaulted a minor alongside disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. NFL currently has a partnership with Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation since the rapper co-produces the Super Bowl halftime show.
During a meeting with league leaders in Texas earlier this month, commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the lawsuit and the NFL’s relationship with Carter. “From our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl,” Goodell told the media. And though the jury is out on whether Beyonce’s performance will be met with rave reviews, it is very likely to shift how big gameday events are consumed by sports fans.
Last year, the NFL rolled out a three-game slate across different networks on Christmas and managed the highest TV ratings of the season. NBA’s five-game Christmas schedule saw a 6-1 margin deficit against the NFL, which led to plenty of chatter about how the NFL is eating away NBA’s ratings.
“I think we need to seriously consider starting [the season] on Christmas because, listen, you’re wasting your time going up against the NFL and college football. They own the weekends now,” NBA and broadcasting legend Charles Barkley told the Dan Patrick Show. “We’d have the entire calendar to [ourselves].”
Some experts also pointed out that perhaps the NBA needs an the approach like NFL and turn Christmas games into a spectacle. “I imagine the NBA is going to have to attract viewers on Christmas Day by acquiring headlining talent comparable to Beyoncé or maybe changing the format of the day’s programming,” said Dr. Brittany Proctor-Habil, assistant professor of race and media at The New School. “Televising NBA [games] from noon to 10:30 PM ET is not as appealing to viewers as it once was.”
Also Read: Mariah Carey And Beyonce To Headline NFL’s Historic Christmas Gameday Show On Netflix
Dan Runchie, founder of a company that gives insights on music and sports also agreed that NFl is being savvy with timing and gaining ground over NBA. “It definitely feels like the NBA lost a bit of that corner. And maybe other corners, too,” Runchie said.
“The NFL has games on Martin Luther King Day now. That’s another big day for the NBA and for its messaging and trying to honor Dr. King … We’ve also heard [rumblings] about the Super Bowl moving down to [Presidents Day Sunday] because they know people have that Monday off. If that happens, every cherished day the NBA has seems like the NFL is coming to creep on it.”
On Christmas Day, Netflix is streaming two major games. This year, four key quarterbacks will be starting on Christmas Day, namely, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud; this coupled with a Beyonce conert and a Mariah Carey opening, it’s a recipe for max viewership. Not to mention the Beyonce set will be streamed in the middle of the most tense stretch of the NFL season which will decide a lot about the playoffs. No wonder fans are considering it a mega event, give or take the Christmas angle.
Netflix’s streaming of a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul drew well over one hundred million worldwide viewers which made it the most streamed “global sporting event” ever. “Now, you place Beyoncé there, and you have a whole group of fans who will be like, ‘I don’t care about the game. I just wanna watch this,’ ” said Randall Williams, a celebrated sports business reporter.
It’s important to note that making viewers switch to Netflix is also leading them to switch off network TV and step away from the slate of festive content that they are familiar with.
“If you’re gonna do that, you want to be able to make it big. And if you’re gonna make it big, you get Beyoncé who has been part of some of the more memorable Super Bowl halftime performances we’ve seen,” said Runchie. “Getting a Super Bowl halftime-level performer to do it on your platform is monumental.”
While fans may question adding Beyonce to a festive roster during a time when her husband faces serious allegations, in some ways it does spell good business for Netflix. Beyonce has already performed on the NFL’s grandest stage twice; she headlined the Super Bowl in 2013 and 2016 and has a longstanding relationship with Netflix.
In 2019, Beyoncé agreed to a three-project deal worth roughly $60 million with the streamer which resulted in the critically acclaimed 2019 concert film, ‘Homecoming’, which documented Beyonce’s historic Coachella performance. “This could potentially be the second one, though we’ve yet to see any confirmation on that from either side,” said Runchie.
By making entertainment a big part of sports, especially festive day sporting events, the NFL is essentially approaching the next chapter in viewership. It’s a way of diversifying its target audiences by not just pulling it on-demand viewers who are switching on the OTT platforms for a festive spectacle but also drawing the viewers who aren’t interested in NFL but are curious about the entertainment. And this formula may just work wonders for the NFL.
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