Topline
Netflix will broadcast two NFL games and a Beyoncé performance on Christmas Day, with a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers followed by the Baltimore Ravens versus the Houston Texans, as it hopes to avoid livestream glitches and delays that tarnished its stream of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight.
The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first of two games Wednesday. … [+]
Key Facts
Netflix will broadcast the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans game in a new partnership with the NFL, and the streams will be available globally in five languages.
The streaming service has planned a full day of programming, beginning with a pregame show that will include guest commentary from comedians Bert Kreischer and Nate Bargatze, before a performance from Mariah Carey, and later Beyoncé.
Netflix’s NFL partnership comes just weeks after it aired the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, though that stream frustrated viewers for glitches and delays.
When And Where Will The Nfl Christmas Games Air?
The pregame show begins at 11 a.m. EST on Netflix, two hours before the Chiefs and Steelers kick off at 1 p.m. EST from Pittsburgh. The Ravens and Texans kick off at 4:30 p.m. EST in Houston. The games will be available to stream until 3 hours after the livestreams end in the U.S., and up to 24 hours after the livestreams end internationally.
Who’s Favored To Win?
The Chiefs, who are coming in with a league-best 14-1 record this season, are 2.5-point favorites over the 10-5 Steelers, according to FanDuel. FanDuel has the 10-5 Ravens as 4.5-point favorites over the 9-6 Texans.
When Will Beyoncé And Mariah Carey Perform—and What Will They Sing?
Beyoncé will take the stage during halftime of the second game on Christmas Day, which begins at 4:30 p.m. EST. Though her exact setlist is unknown, Netflix said Beyoncé will perform songs from her latest album, “Cowboy Carter,” alongside undisclosed special guests who are featured on the album. Featured artists on “Cowboy Carter” include Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Shaboozey, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, though it’s unclear who will join Beyoncé onstage. The length of her performance is also unknown, though her publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, denied rumors that her performance would be 20 minutes long. Carey will perform “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” her blockbuster holiday hit, which will air before the first game begins at 1 p.m. EST, though Netflix has not given an exact time.
Key Background
In recent years, Netflix has tried, and struggled, to break into live programming. Netflix first forayed into livestreaming with a Chris Rock comedy special last year, but soon flirted with disaster when a planned “Love is Blind” reunion special crashed and finally aired hours after it was scheduled. Netflix broke into live sports streaming last month when it aired the Tyson-Paul bout, which attracted more than 60 million viewers—but the stream was marred by glitches, buffering and freezing issues, frustrating users and sparking a social media firestorm over concerns about whether Netflix could handle streaming the NFL Christmas games. Netflix has said it will be able to handle the games, stating it tweaked its “content delivery, encoding, and streaming protocols accordingly” following the Tyson-Paul fight livestream.
Chief Critics
Several NFL players and commentators have criticized the unprecedented slate of Wednesday Christmas Day games—a day of the week that has featured only a handful of games in the league’s history. Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have said the Christmas Day games make the Chiefs schedule more difficult by making the team play three games in 11 days. “You never want to play this many games in this short of time. It’s just not great for your body,” Mahomes told ESPN. Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast he is “excited” about the Christmas game, but his “body is not as excited,” adding it feels like a “challenge” from the NFL to play so many games so quickly. Chris Russo, a sports radio broadcaster who contributes to ESPN and hosts the “Mad Dog Sports Radio” channel, slammed the NFL and Netflix on his radio show. “Who the hell can watch an NFL game on Christmas Day at 1 o’clock in the afternoon? I can’t,” Russo said, calling it “ridiculous” because people will likely be spending time with their families on the holiday. Sports podcast host and former ESPN journalist Bomani Jones criticized the NFL for embracing Christmas games in recent years, stating it may take away from the NBA’s tradition of having games on Christmas Day. “What do you do on Christmas? For a significant portion of America, we do this and we watch basketball,” Jones said, comparing it to watching football on Thanksgiving.
Tangent
Beyoncé’s performance comes weeks after her husband, Jay-Z, was named in a lawsuit alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in which an unnamed Alabama woman said the two men sexually assaulted her in 2000 when she was a minor at a Video Music Awards after-party. The NFL said its relationship with Jay-Z, who is the league’s live music entertainment strategist, will not change amid the lawsuit. Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, is not listed by Netflix as one of the producers of Beyoncé’s upcoming halftime show; Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, is instead listed as a producer, alongside Jesse Collins Entertainment.
Further Reading
Netflix is dreaming of a glitch-free Christmas with 2 major NFL games set (NPR)
How Netflix took on live TV — and got ready to take on the NFL (The Verge)
Beyoncé NFL Halftime Show Will Be Available to Rewatch on Netflix — but Only for a Few Hours (Variety)
