- Beyoncé is promoting her performance at the halftime NFL football game on Christmas Day
- She made a special video for this
- Questions remain about Netflix’s ability to handle this
If you’re excited for Netflix’s first ever live NFL football game on Christmas Day, you’re probably even more excited about the halftime show: Beyoncé. That’s right, the megastar will perform at the midway point, likely playing songs from her hugely successful country album. Cowboy Carter. But maybe you’re also a little worried.
Last month, the streaming giant struggled through the live boxing match Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul, where at least 108 million concurrent viewers tuned in to watch Paul take out an aging champion in embarrassing fashion. However, the embarrassment actually came from Netflix, which presented its iconic spinning wheel of disconnection to millions of potential viewers.
Naturally, we’re all wondering if Netflix can handle an even larger audience that comes just to see Beyoncé perform live… and that apparently includes the iconic singer.
Beyoncé took to X (formerly Twitter) on Christmas Eve to promote her halftime show with a little country picking. In the short video, below a tweet that said, “Sending you great joy and love on this Cowboy Christmas Eve. See you all tomorrow, in my town HTX,” Beyoncé sits with a banjo on her knee. , causally strumming when… Netflix’s spinning circle appears and Beyoncé is temporarily frozen.
Sending you great joy and love on this Cowboy Christmas Eve ❤️ See you all tomorrow, in my city HTX 🤟🏽🏈🪕🌵🎄 pic.twitter.com/DFNmOjZNLrDecember 24, 2024
I remember watching the video and wondering if X’s own servers were now struggling under the weight of Beyoncé’s massive star power — and then the video resumed and the luminous star winked cheekily at the camera.
Oh, you smart Beyoncé.
Clearly in on the joke, Netflix responded quickly“Wait a minute…”
Joking aside, concerns that Netflix won’t be up to the musical task remain.
A few weeks after the Paul vs. Tyson debacle, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos tried to explain away the problems at a conference. According to The Hollywood ReporterSarandos said: “We pushed the ISP, every ISP in the world, to the limits of their own capacity. That evening we emphasized the limits of the internet itself.”
That much was clear. How Netflix uses these lessons and avoids another night of red, spinning circles is another matter. At least Beyoncé seems to know what to expect.