Skip to main content

Netflix reportedly planning its first live sports broadcast

Netflix is planning its first sports-based live stream, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Monday.

The streaming giant is in talks to create a celebrity golf tournament featuring professional golfers and Formula 1 drivers, according to people claiming to have knowledge of the matter.

Talks are said to be in the early stages, but if the idea materializes, the event could take place in Las Vegas this fall.

Sources told the Journal that the tournament would probably involve celebrities from Netflix shows such as Drive to Survive, a docuseries focusing on Formula 1 motor racing, and Full Swing, which offers behind-the-scenes coverage of the PGA Tour.

While Netflix’s initial offering may generate limited interest among sports fans, it could pave the way for additional deals involving more prominent sports events that could in turn encourage fresh sign-ups to the streaming service. However, a serious push into live sports would mean securing expensive broadcasting rights that would involve Netflix diverting money away from other content that it produces.

Speaking in December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos appeared to dismiss the idea of getting into live sports broadcasts, saying: “We’ve not seen a profit path to renting big sports … We’re not anti-sports, we’re just pro-profit … [Netflix] can get twice as big without sports.” While that feels pretty much like a rejection of live sports, the Journal’s report on Monday suggests otherwise. It’s also worth recalling how the company once dismissed the idea of launching an ad tier before changing its mind.

Rival streaming service Amazon Prime Video introduced live sports in 2017, streaming portions of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games during the 2017 NFL season in a deal worth $50 million. Apple TV+, too, has added live professional sports content to its offerings, acquiring the rights to show major league soccer.

Netflix has already dabbled in live broadcasts, starting with a Chris Rock comedy special in March. Its second attempt at streaming a live event, however, ended in disaster in April when technical glitches ruined a Love is Blind special. Netflix ended up sharing a recording of the show.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers live stream: Watch Monday Night Football for free
Aerial view of players on the field at Carolina Panthers stadium.

Week 2 of the NFL season brings a special edition of Monday Night Football on September 18. There will be two games on Monday night for the first time this season. The first game will see the New Orleans Saints (1-0) traveling to North Carolina to take on the Carolina Panthers (0-1). The game will be played at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, home of the Panthers. On FanDuel, the Saints are a 3-point road favorite.
With new quarterback Derek Carr under center in Week 1, the Saints gutted out a 16-15 victory against the Tennessee Titans. Carr looked good in his first game wearing the gold and black, throwing for 305 yards and one touchdown. The Panthers also started a new quarterback in Week 1. Bryce Young, the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, struggled to find a rhythm, throwing two interceptions in the Panthers 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Watch the Saints vs. Panthers live stream on ESPN and ESPN2

Read more
NFL games today: schedule, channels, live streams for September 17
Cheerleaders run across the endzone in Cowboys' Stadium.

After an exciting opening weekend, the NFL turns to Week 2, with more intriguing matchups and storylines. Week 2 started with Thursday Night Football, as the Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) defeated the Minnesota Vikings (0-2) by a score of 34-28. The Eagles were led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, who ended the game with 228 total yards and three touchdowns.

Today's slate features 13 games, headlined by the Sunday night contest between the Miami Dolphins (1-0) and New England Patriots (0-1). Before that game, all eyes will be on New York Jets (1-0) quarterback Zach Wilson in Dallas (1-0) as he steps in for Aaron Rodgers, who is out for the season after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury.

Read more
Love at First Sight is Netflix’s most popular movie right now. Here are 3 rom-coms just like it
Ben Hardy and Haley Lu Richardson in Love At First Sight.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Because there are a lot more than three rom-coms like Netflix's Love at First Sight. It's a very popular trope in Hollywood, but it plays on our collective hope that we'll find someone to love and possibly feel an intimate connection from the start. That's one of the reasons why Love at First Sight has ended Woody Woodpecker's reign of terror on top of the ten most popular movies on Netflix.

Vanessa Caswill directed this adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith's novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Haley Lu Richardson stars in the film as Hadley Sullivan, a young woman who is traveling to London for her father's second wedding. At the airport, Hadley meets and connects with Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy), who is coming home to London after a trip to the states. The pair end up sitting next to each other on the plane ride and they spend hours getting to know each other only to be separated when they arrive in the United Kingdom. The rest of the story is about them finding their way back to each other.

Read more