Watching Beyonce’s newly-announced show on Netflix could land you a £1,000 fine-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro

Christmas just got better as Netflix has revealed none other than Beyonce will perform the half-time show in the Christmas Day NFL game.

Netflix have confirmed they will live-stream the Houston Texans game against the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium globally.

This will be the first time the Love On Top icon performs her Grammy-nominated album Cowboy Carter live for millions of fans around the world.

However, British fans might need to think twice about watching the show as it could actually land you a hefty £1,000 fine.

No, it’s not Netflix adding extra fees again; it’s actually your TV licence (or lack of it) that could catch you out.

Beyonce will perform the NFL Christmas Day half-time show (Picture: Beyonce/Netflix)

The show will be live-streamed on Netflix (Picture: Beyonce/Netflix)

Many of us have ditched the seemingly old-fashioned licence in the age of streaming as it is not required for on-demand shows.

While the TV licence is known more as a fee for watching the BBC, it covers all live programmes regardless of platform or device.

The official TV Licence site FAQ clearly states: ‘If you are watching a TV programme live on Netflix, you need to be covered by a TV Licence.’

Therefore even if you don’t usually need one for binge-watching shows like Nobody Wants This and Outerbounds, you will for Beyonce as it is live.

Bad news for anyone who watched Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight as it aired because you could now be on the hook for that very same fine.

According to the streamer over 60million households tuned in worldwide, with viewers reporting crashes due to overwhelming demand.

TV licences are required for all live programmes – even Netflix (Picture: Beyonce/Netflix)

While it’s unclear how many of those were UK households, anyone who didn’t buy a TV licence beforehand could still be taken to court.

Thankfully, you’re not going to be imprisoned for not having a TV licence but you could be for non-payment of the £1,000 fine, which would also result in a criminal record.

Fans may have been willing to pay hundreds to see the Renaissance Tour when it came to the UK but this might be a step too far.

Currently, a colour TV licence is set by the government at £169.50 per year but it’s £110 cheaper if you’re willing to watch in black and white.

If coughing up £159 just to watch Beyonce’s likely less than 20-minute set is a little steep, there are some ways around this.

Beyonce fans will need to watch on-demand to avoid paying (Picture: Beyonce/Netflix)

The easiest way to avoid any nasty legal issues is to simply not watch the show live, the game should remain on Netflix after airing so will be on-demand and exempt.

If you’re only watching for Beyonce, wait for full clips to appear online (which likely won’t take long) and watch these instead.

The XO hitmaker’s last half-time show was in 2016 when she joined Bruno Mars and Coldplay for the Super Bowl performance.

Beyonce’s half-time show – and the accompanying NFL game – will air on Christmas Day at 9.30pm GMT on Netflix.

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