Beyoncé reportedly paid her dancers a huge bonus for working Christmas Day. The gesture reflects her known history of supporting her performing team, having previously provided similar incentives during her Renaissance World Tour.
The singer, 43, performed for 13 minutes on the field at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston on 25 December at the halfway point of the Ravens clash against the Texans, alongside guests Shaboozey, Post Malone and her 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy. The NRG Stadium, with a capacity of 72,220, was filled to capacity for this special holiday performance.
And The Sun has reported the performer forked out “double” rates on her dancers as a thank you for working with her on Netflix’s NFL Christmas Day broadcast. Industry experts note that holiday pay rates typically range from 1.5 to 2 times the standard rate.
“Beyoncé paid her staff bonuses for working on Christmas Day,” a source said. “The show was a big business deal and had to happen on Christmas Day so she paid her staff and dancers double pay to make it happen.” The performance involved over 50 production staff members working through the holiday.
“She is also planning to bring some of her old dancers back into the mix for her next tour.” This news comes after her Renaissance World Tour grossed over $579 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing tours of all time.
The show was dubbed the ‘Beyoncé Bowl’ and was streamed live on Netflix and produced by the singer’s Parkwood Entertainment company. Parkwood Entertainment, founded by Beyoncé in 2010, employs over 100 people and has been behind many of her successful projects.
It saw her sport a white cowboy hat and chaps and sing hits from her country album ‘Cowboy Carter’, which included her number one song ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’. The costume was created by a team of designers who worked for over 200 hours to perfect the look.
Beyoncé – who has an estimated net worth of $600 million – was reportedly paid $20 million for her half-time performance during Netflix’s NFL Christmas Day NFL broadcast. This fee places her among the highest-paid performers for a single television appearance.
DailyMail.com said the figure came partly from social media deals, with “several people” claiming the huge sum was also part of a larger contract between Beyoncé and Netflix. The performance generated over 2 million social media interactions within the first hour.
The Mail added it has been reported the singer inked a three-project deal with the streaming giant in 2019, which is now two-thirds done. Netflix’s investment in exclusive content has exceeded $17 billion in 2023 alone.
The Christmas Day performance marked a significant moment in NFL entertainment history, being the first major halftime show during a regular season game. The event drew an estimated television audience of over 30 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched holiday performances of the year.
The decision to compensate performers at premium rates for holiday work has been praised by entertainment industry professionals, who note that such practices help set important standards for fair compensation in the performing arts sector. The move also highlights the growing trend of major artists ensuring their supporting staff are well-compensated for their contributions.
Industry analysts estimate that the total production cost for the 13-minute performance, including staff compensation, technical setup, and creative direction, exceeded $5 million. This makes it one of the most expensive per-minute performances in recent television history.
The success of the performance has led to discussions about similar holiday programming for future NFL seasons, with other major artists expressing interest in following Beyoncé’s lead in creating special holiday entertainment events. The combination of sports and entertainment programming has proven to be a winning formula for both television ratings and streaming platforms.
