Beyoncé’s halftime present and a pair of NFL video games had been successful for Netflix : NPR

Sports activities followers who tuned into Netflix’s landmark streaming Wednesday of two NFL video games might have felt a little bit of troubling déjà vu – at first.

That is as a result of this significant occasion – signaling the entry of the business’s largest streaming service into the blockbuster enterprise {of professional} soccer – kicked off with audio issues within the early moments of host Kay Adams’ opening presentation.

It was a worrying callback to issues Netflix had with its final massive reside occasion, the boxing match in November between YouTube star Jake Paul and former champ Mike Tyson when viewers struggled with blurry audio and obtained frequently kicked off the reside stream.

Thankfully, Adams’ sound issues had been rapidly fastened, permitting Netflix to step up with a two-game programming occasion that felt just like the streaming service’s model of the Tremendous Bowl – full with a lushly-produced halftime present for its second sport that includes pop celebrity Beyoncé that would stand as much as any Massive Recreation presentation.

In actual fact, the precise soccer video games might have been the least spectacular a part of Netflix’s massive day, as Tremendous Bowl champions the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs ran over the Pittsburgh Steelers within the first sport, 29-10 and the Baltimore Ravens dominated the Houston Texans on their residence turf for the second contest, 31-2.

Netflix’s broadcast on Wednesday obtained off to a rocky begin with audio issues from host Kay Adams.

Netflix

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Netflix

Stacking its groups of hosts and commentators with skilled broadcasters, Netflix delivered a largely easy visible presentation with plenty of glitzy graphics and all the data followers wanted to comply with the sport. The connection points that plagued the Tyson/Paul battle appeared largely absent, a minimum of for this viewer, significantly whereas watching the video games in barely delayed playback.

Based on Netflix, greater than 200 international locations tuned in sooner or later throughout the Chiefs vs. Steelers contest, making it the second hottest reside title on the streaming service.

So, it is sensible the streamer would reap the benefits of the event to shoehorn in plenty of references to different Netflix merchandise, together with a pregame interview with WWE wrestler Liv Morgan to immediate the debut of WWE Uncooked reside occasions subsequent month and realistic-looking football-shaped truffles tying into the streamer’s sport present Is It Cake?

There have been additionally a great deal of commercials, which appeared to play even for subscribers with ad-free plans, although when you watched the video games by way of replay, you possibly can skip previous them.

However the full video games expired from Netflix three hours after the occasion; two applications providing highlights from every sport’s performs can be found to look at on demand, and the streamer says Beyoncé’s halftime present may also be provided as a standalone program to rewatch.

Queen Bey, a Houston native, actually introduced the hearth to her hometown for what the streamer dubbed the “Beyoncé Bowl” halftime present. Performing songs from her album Cowboy Carter for the primary time – together with her reboots of “Jolene” and “Blackbird” – she was a imaginative and prescient in white and sequins backed by a cavalcade of dancers decked out in white cowboy hats and ace collaborators like Put up Malone and Shaboozey. Her daughter, Blue Ivy, even made an look.

Beyoncé’s epic reside efficiency lasted greater than 13 minutes – handily overshadowing Mariah Carey’s pre-taped appearances earlier than every sport – additionally proving that Netflix may muster the manufacturing worth and imagery to match any Tremendous Bowl-level performer.

Which was, finally, crucial level of the complete day – proving that the streaming service is able to compete with the large canine of broadcasting by providing glitch-free NFL video games reside to a subscriber base of greater than 282 million accounts.

Netflix is not the one streamer providing reside NFL video games. Amazon’s Prime Video has Thursday Night time Soccer and Peacock additionally affords reside protection of some NFL video games. However Netflix, as the most important and most worthwhile streaming service, has a symbolic and substantial influence in terms of a sure sort of programming.

With its plans to stream WWE Uncooked reside occasions beginning subsequent month and a brand new deal to current the FIFA Girls’s World Cup, Netflix is popping towards one space of tv streaming companies have not but dominated: reside sports activities.

What that finally means for the way forward for tv – and the way forward for sports activities media – we could be beginning to study.