Mariah Carey to star in show open of Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL games
All Netflix wants for Christmas is Mariah Carey. The streaming service announced Thursday that the five-time Grammy-winning singer will headline the “show open” of its first NFL game, which will stream live on Christmas Day.
Carey, who is winding down a Christmas music tour, will perform her iconic holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” during the pre-taped clip that starts the show.
The chart-topping songstress announced the gig in a short video.
Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday doubleheader will feature regular-season games between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET and the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET. Beyoncé will perform during the halftime show of the Ravens-Texans game from her hometown of Houston. It will be her first time performing songs from her recent country album “Cowboy Carter” live.
Carey is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her Christmas album “Merry Christmas” and its signature song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the 15th cumulative week, a remarkable feat for a 30-year-old song. The track was recently certified 16x Platinum by the RIAA, making it the highest-certified single ever for a female artist.
Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday is another test of the streaming service’s push into live sports. It follows the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, which Netflix says was watched by 60 million households worldwide.