Netflix may be getting into the sports game, as the streamer is making moves to acquire different rights to add to its content. Along with releasing original TV shows and movies, Netflix has recently begun to offer mobile games as an alternative for users. Exclusive content is key to alluring more users to subscribe to a streaming platform, as Netflix competes with the likes of Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Peacock. ESPN+, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock, and Paramount+ already offer live sporting events, with Prime Video a recent addition thanks to its acquisition of Thursday Night Football. Netflix doesn’t want to get left behind, and is reportedly eyeing different sports leagues and events.
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Deadline reports Netflix has been in discussion for the rights to tennis tours and the World Surf League. However, as of now, no deals have been finalized, though that doesn’t mean agreements won’t be made in the future. Netflix will assuredly continue pursuing sports rights, which would be a boon to cord-cutters.
“Sports is the baseline now, we all know it, and finding the right properties, the right leagues is a priority, but it is always a question of the right league, the right deal,” a Netflix insider told Deadline.
Netflix Interest in Live Sports
Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix, has previously spoken of the streamer’s interest in live sports. At the time in 2020, he downplayed Netflix adding sports and livestreams, though the door wasn’t closed all the way.
Saying that sports could make sense for Netflix at some point, Hastings told Variety, “I doubt news, but sports, video gaming, user-generated content — if you think of the other big categories, someday it could make sense. But right now, [co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos has] got every billion dollar earmarked for bigger movies, bigger series, animation of course… At least for the next couple of years, every content dollar is spoken for.”
Different streaming services are handling sports and timely content differently. HBO Max is not relying on it, and the Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+) all offer different variations of live content. Disney+ just added the newest season of Dancing With the Stars, and will soon have new episodes of Doctor Who. Peacock has Sunday Night Football, Notre Dame football games, and Premier League. Paramount+ has NFL and college football games through CBS as well as soccer and golf. And we already mentioned Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football.
Would you be interested in watching live sports on Netflix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
