After doing its absolute darnedest to kill cable, Netflix has finally moved into the “replacement” phase of its master plan, embracing live sports as the first beachhead in its efforts to depose the old regime and take over America’s television sets. To that end, it’s launching its NFL On Netflix imperative on Christmas, and who better to help draw eyes (and ears) than one of pop music’s most ubiquitous forces? Beyoncé will be performing at halftime of the Ravens vs. Texans game, and the Houstonian will be there to support her team and promote her Cowboy Carter album in the process.
At least, that’s the takeaway from Bey’s teaser for the performance, which Netflix shared on its social channels just a few minutes ago. In it, Beyoncé lights up a Christmas tree — err, cactus — while sporting a massive cowboy hat and bedazzled in a fuzzy coat and a collar of diamonds. Fanfare blares as the title card announces the performance and the kickoff time for the game, 4:30 PM ET.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter era has seen her pop up in all sorts of unusual places, but for her, an NFL halftime performance may just feel like a homecoming (heh), after she performed at the Super Bowl halftime show twice, in 2013 and 2016. However, what sets this apart is that it’s the first time the NFL has played on Christmas (traditionally, the NBA’s territory), which warrants her all-star presence — which, again, is backed by Netflix, which probably issued a big-ass check, its own tradition when it comes to “disrupting” established industries.
You can watch the teaser up top and the performance at 4:30 ET on Christmas day on Netflix.
