Why the Beyoncé Bowl Matters to Connected TV and Live Sports

Live sports is a massive growth opportunity for New Hollywood streaming businesses who dominate connected TV. The global sports online live video streaming market was valued at $27.93 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $133.98 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate of 24.64%. in 2024, digital sports viewers were expected to surpass linear TV viewers for the first time, with 105.3 million digital viewers compared to 85.7 million on traditional platforms. The major streaming brands, including Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Peacock, and YouTube, are locked in a knock-down, drag-out battle to capture live sports viewers and attract more advertising revenue. And the NFL is the coveted prize in this fight. The NFL is one of the world’s most powerful brands. Nielsen says the NFL accounted for a 93 of the 100 most-watched TV broadcasts in 2023. The NFL has sensed and responded to the rise of CTV, agreeing to air games with a variety of streaming companies, among them Amazon Prime, Paramount+, Peacock, and YouTube TV.

Which brings us to the epic Beyoncé Bowl on Christmas Day 2024, aka Beyoncé’s halftime performance during Netflix NFL Christmas Gameday. For the first time, Netflix hosted not one but two NFL games on Christmas Day, featuring matchups between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers followed by the Houston Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Netflix’s exclusive livestreams of two Christmas Day NFL games each reached an average of more than 24 million U.S. viewers, making them the most streamed NFL games in U.S. history – and comparable to numbers for a on average, in the U.S. for both games, according to Nielsen figures provided by Netflix. This is in line for a typical NFL game on linear TV.

Nice numbers. But Beyoncé beat them both. Her halftime performance during the Texans/Ravens game drew 27 million viewers, and no wonder. Both the NFL games were boring, lopsided contests. But Queen Bey lit up connected TV and the digital world in general with the debut performance of her 2024 genre-bending album Cowboy Carter. This matters because the appearance of Beyoncé elevated a sporting event to a level of cultural relevance as the Super Bowl is capable of doing – and raised the stakes for the intersection of sports and entertainment on connected TV.

The #BeyoncéBowl Wins Big

By any measure, her 13-minute appearance was a success. According to Netflix, #BeyoncéBowl rose to the #1 worldwide trend on X immediately as her performance kicked off, eclipsing #Christmas. Following her performance, Netflix occupied 10 of the top 12 trending topics on X in the United States.

But the numbers don’t capture the significance of her performance. She elevated live sports on connected TV to another level of cultural relevance. This is important because when any brand, including Netflix and the NFL, achieves, cultural relevance, they connect with (and even shape) the values, beliefs, and behaviors of their audiences. And when a brand does that, they lock in loyalty.

Beyoncé knows how to elevate a sporting event to a higher level of cultural significance. She did so in 2016 with her performance of the riveting “Formation,” a politically-charged statement of identity at the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show. She did it again on Christmas Day when her Cowboy Carter setlist drew attention to the rich heritage of Black country music as the album itself did on its release in 2024. In the wake of her performance, news media like The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Week published thoughtful analyses of Black country.

Social media blew up as she performed a setlist that included “16 Carriages,” “YA YA,” Texas Hold ‘Em” and more. Cowboy Carter is a much talked about and celebrated artistic achievement that blends country and Americana with elements of blues, folk, soul, and hip-hop, reflecting her Texan roots and the rich tapestry of Southern music. Although it’s not a country album, per se, the country influences have made a profound statement on the inclusivity and evolution of American music genres.

Those influences were on display during the halftime show. Beyoncé surrounded herself with musical guests including Post Malone, Shaboozey, and her daughter Blue Ivy. But the most important inclusion were the Black country women who made contributions to Cowboy Carter: Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy, and Tanner Adell. They sang along with her interpretation of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” (fashioned as “Blackbiird” on Cowboy Carter) as they did on the album.

The choice of “Blackbiird” was significant: Paul McCartney wrote the original “Blackbird” in 1968 as a response to the civil rights movement in the United States. Inspired by the racial tensions and struggles for equality during that time, McCartney has explained that the “blackbird” in the song symbolizes a Black woman or person enduring oppression but holding hope for change. For Beyoncé to include the song at an NFL game and to include the Black country artists who sang on its album version was a cultural statement of purpose and artistry.

For Netflix and the NFL, the Beyoncé halftime show ups the ante for what a sporting event and artist can accomplish together especially on Christmas Day. On linear TV, Christmas Day broadcasts have not featured performers of such global stature. While the NBA’s Christmas Day games often included celebrity cameos in games or promotional material, these moments paled in comparison to Beyoncé’s multi-million-dollar production. By incorporating a performer of Beyoncé’s caliber, Netflix and the NFL upped the ante for the streaming industry in particular. Their collaboration underlines how entertainment and sports are converging in ways that redefine what viewers can expect not only from holiday programming but sports programming.

Advertising Implications for Netflix

The success of Netflix NFL Christmas Gameday will also help boost Netflix’s already successful advertising business. Advertising for the NFL games appeared across both the ad-supported and ad-free subscription tiers. Ad inventory sold out in November. For advertisers, this ensured access to Netflix’s full NFL audience, creating a unified and highly valuable advertising opportunity that maximizes reach.

Analysts estimate that the two NFL Christmas Day games could generate $150 million in advertising revenue, effectively covering Netflix’s $150 million investment in the broadcast rights. This not only offsets costs but also demonstrates the financial viability of live sports as a revenue stream for Netflix.

Future NFL broadcasts will give Netflix an opportunity to attract premium advertisers who are eager to reach large, engaged audiences. Netflix can use its advanced data analytics capabilities to provide highly targeted advertising options. Oh, and Netflix and Beyoncé are not done yet. They have a three-project, $60 million deal signed in 2019. The Netflix NFL Christmas Gameday was the second initiative (the first was a 2019 concert documentary, “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé”). The two are partnering on a documentary of the #BeyoncéBowl, too, which will keep the moment in the public eye.

The Amazon Advantage

You can be sure Netflix’s competitors are figuring out how to answer the Netflix challenge, especially Amazon, which achieved some history of its own by streaming NFL Black Friday games in 2023 and 2024. Amazon has its work cut out. The 2024 NFL Black Friday game, streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, achieved an average viewership of 13.51 million, far less than Netflix NFL Christmas Gameday although a 41% increase compared to the 2023 inaugural Black Friday game. But Amazon has something Netflix lacks: online commerce during live sports and a more interactive and interesting viewing experience to complement the action on the field. Expect Amazon to lean into its strength while attempting to engineer its own entertainment moment.