The first live sports event could come to Netflix this fall, and the Wall Street Journal reports that the company is in talks to create a new celebrity-led golf tournament in Las Vegas that would include some of the stars of other sports content on the service like Drive to Survive and Full Swing, according to a report. theverge.
And talks seem early, but a dedicated, talent-driven golf tournament makes perfect sense as Netflix's first foray into sports broadcasting. Streaming live sports is risky, difficult, and expensive, and deals for big-name events are bolder than ever. (Netflix was reportedly trying to wrest Formula 1 coverage away from ESPN, but failed to do so.) .
Netflix's streaming reputation is n't entirely good either. In April, the live reunion show Love is Blind was such a stunning flop that the service canceled the live aspect of the show altogether. However I was able to stream Chris Rock's comedy special without a hitch.
Netflix has been interested in live content since at least 2022, and has shown an interest in sports for years, but has always said it is looking for the right moment to get in on the game. So far, the company has invested heavily in documentaries, to great success: many people credit Drive to Survive alone for making Formula 1 popular in the US, Full Swing and Break Point have been very successful in golf and tennis as well, and records have been recorded. The company is even doing an NFL version, called Quarterback, which is set to come out this summer.
And a one-off golf tournament could be a test case for Netflix to prove to tournaments and advertisers that it can handle more complex events. It could also be a signal of strategy: the company has shown that it can use documentaries and behind-the-scenes content to get people interested in sports they didn't know about before, so maybe Netflix's sports strategy is more underwater hockey than NHL hockey and toe wrestling more. from WWE.
And they're going to give Netflix a lot of content to stream, a lot of good intellectual property to make shows around, and don't be surprised to see the Netflix sports network look like Drive to Survive, but for every sport you can imagine.