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This fall could be when Netflix streams its first live sports game. The Wall Street Journal says that the company is in talks to start a new celebrity-driven golf event in Las Vegas.+
Some of the stars of other sports shows on the service, such as Drive to Survive and Full Swing, would take part in the tournament.
The talks seem to be in their early stages, but a custom, talent-driven golf event would be a great way for Netflix to start streaming sports. Live sports streaming is risky, hard, and expensive, and the deals for big-name events are getting more and more competitive. (It was said that Netflix tried to steal Formula 1 coverage from ESPN, but failed.) There’s a reason why ESPN’s first broadcast was of a slow-pitch softball game and Yahoo’s first broadcast was of an NFL game from London in the early morning hours in the United States. Even when people try to be more careful, things don’t always go well.
Netflix doesn’t have a great image when it comes to live streaming, either. In April, the live reunion show for Love Is Blind was such a huge flop that the service stopped doing the live parts of the show. It did, however, stream a comedy show by Chris Rock without any problems.
Since at least 2022, Netflix has been interested in live video, and it has shown interest in sports for years, but it has always said it’s waiting for the right time to get into the game. So far, the company has put a lot of money into films, which have done very well. Drive to Survive is often credited with making Formula 1 popular in the U.S., and Full Swing and Break Point have done well for golf and tennis. The company has even agreed to make a version for the NFL called Quarterback, which is set to come out this summer.
A one-time golf tournament could be a test for Netflix to show leagues and advertising that it can handle more complicated events. It could also be a sign 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 care about before.
So maybe Netflix’s sports plan will be more underwater hockey than NHL hockey and more toe wrestling than WWE. They would give Netflix a lot of things to watch and a lot of good ideas for shows to make. Don’t be surprised if the sports network on Netflix looks like Drive to Survive, but for every event you can think of.
