Mariah Carey Will Open NFL Christmas Day Doubleheader on Netflix
Source: Michael Buckner / Getty
First Beyoncé, now Mariah Carey. Netflix is making sure that their first-ever NFL Christmas Day doubleheader has all the star power it deserves. The streamer just announced that Mariah Carey will open up the games to sing her classic #1 hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Carey has been the undisputed Queen of Christmas since the song made its chart debut in 1994. It was a #6 single then, but streaming has helped increase its popularity, which naturally peaks during the holiday season. Per Netflix, the song is now #1 on Billboard for the 15th straight week and is also also at #1 on the Billboard holiday chart.
Despite some glitches with its live coverage of the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson ‘fight,’ which reached up to 60 million viewers, Netflix is confident they’ll be up to the NFL broadcast. NFL ratings for top matches average around 30 million, so they have fewer viewers to worry about.
But they should draw a pretty big audience as the doubleheader kicks off with the Kansas Chiefs playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m., and the Houston Texans playing the Baltimore Ravens in the 4 p.m. slot. All of those teams are in playoff contention, with the Chiefs, of course, being the defending Super Bowl champs.
Carey is scheduled to perform on NFL Christmas Gameday before the games.
Beyoncé has already been announced as the halftime performer for the Ravens/Texans duel, the first time a star that big has been tapped for a non-Super Bowl halftime performance.
Let’s just hope Carey recovers before Christmas. The Grammy-winning diva has canceled several shows on her current tour due to a bout with the flu. Over the weekend, she canceled two shows in Newark, N.J., and Belmont, N.Y.
“Newark and Belmont – I wish I had better news but unfortunately I’m still sick and have to cancel the shows tonight and on Sunday,” she said. “I’m really devastated about it and appreciate your support. She signed off, “Love, MC 💔”
Her schedule is free until Dec. 17, when she performs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Then Carey will be off, presumably until Dec. 20, when she is currently scheduled to pre-tape the NFL Christmas Gameday show.
Watch Carey perform “All I Want for Christmas” live on the 2023 Billboard Awards below:
