The Houston Texans will take on the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day in a featured NFL game on Netflix, but more importantly (to a large portion of the population) Beyoncé will perform at halftime at NRG Stadium. The announcement of Queen B’s upcoming performance caused Texans ticket prices and demand to skyrocket.
StubHub’s sales surged nine times compared to the 24 hours prior to the announcement. More tickets were sold on StubHub in one day for the Texans vs. Ravens game than any other day this year, as fans hungry for Bey’s live performance clamored for tickets.
“During the Christmas Day game between the Texans and Baltimore Ravens, Beyoncé’s announcement that she would perform at halftime for her hometown created excitement among fans and caused a spike in daily ticket sales on StubHub.” said StubHub spokesperson Adam Buderi. statement. “As StubHub’s #2 Best Selling Artist of the Year in 2023, Beyoncé consistently drives demand, and this halftime performance marks the first time fans will be able to experience live performances of songs from her album ‘Cowboy Carter.’ This is a great opportunity for the future, and is fueling even greater expectations.”
Other ticket retailers, such as SeatGeek and the Houston Texans’ Vivid Seats page, have seen significant increases in site traffic and ticket sales. In some cases, ticket prices have increased by more than 40 percent. The most expensive ticket sold on Monday was $9,000.
If you peruse SeatGeek’s listings, it’s not uncommon to see tickets around the stadium selling for over $1,000. Even nosebleed seats are listed for over $400, with some of the top seats listed for almost $1,500. Basically, if you want to see Beyoncé perform at a Texans game on Christmas, you’re going to have to pay.
Beyoncé is no stranger to the NFL. Her record includes two Super Bowl appearances, in 2013 when she headlined Super Bowl 47 in New Orleans, and in 2016 when she made a special appearance at the Super Bowl, headliner Coldplay. I went up on stage with him.
This announcement is a big deal for Beyoncé and the NFL, but more importantly, Netflix is staking its claim on live sports. The Mike Tyson and Jake Paul boxing spectacle that was recently streamed on Netflix from AT&T Stadium in Dallas racked up more than 65 million concurrent streams. According to Down Detector, the stream suffered from particular quality issues that prevented more than 88,000 viewers from watching the match.
The majority of our 283 million members around the world will be watching, so there’s pressure to make sure our streams work. If Netflix wants to avoid the wrath of NFL fans, and more importantly, the Beyhive, it should be prepared to stream games with little trouble.
