Breaking: Netflix to Host First Ever Live Sporting Event Next Month with F1, PGA Crossover Golf Tournament
Live sports are at the center of the next wave of streaming evolution as live TV streaming services rely on them to attract and retain subscribers and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms — like Max, Paramount+, and Peacock — are beefing up their exclusive sports content to round out their offerings. While Netflix has thus far avoided wading too deeply into the exorbitantly priced bidding wars for live sports, the world’s largest streamer will officially enter the world of live sports streaming in its own unique Netflix way.
- Netflix will broadcast its first live sporting event — the Netflix Cup — in November.
- The special will feature stars from its Formula 1 and PGA Tour docuseries competing in a golf tournament.
- The streamer held its first live event — a Chris Rock stand-up special — in March 2023.
On Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. ET, stars of Netflix’s golf and racing docuseries “Full Swing” and “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” will team up to compete in a match-play event from the Wynn Golf Club on the Las Vegas Strip to kick off the inaugural F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Currently scheduled to be part of the competition will be F1 drivers Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris, and Carlos Sainz, along with PGA Tour golfers Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Thomas. Teams will consist of one driver and one golfer who will play an eight-hole match. Then, the top two teams will advance to the final hole, where one pair will win the inaugural Netflix Cup title.
Check out a teaser for the event:
“We love to see how our sports series have brought increased fandom to sports leagues and competitions all over the world,” Netflix VP for nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer said. “The Netflix Cup will take that energy to the next level with global stars from two popular hits competing in our first-ever live sports event.”
Does Netflix Have Any Live Sports Rights?
The streaming giant previously made a bid to secure rights to broadcast F1 races, but lost out to ESPN, despite the fact that Netflix's bid was reportedly higher than the worldwide leader in sports’. The linear exposure was more attractive than the extra money to the racing circuit as it continues to try to grab market share in the United States.
While Netflix has yet to pursue any other live sports rights, there have been reports that if and when it does, the platform will approach it differently than its streaming competitors. Instead of bidding on rights to established leagues which can range from the hundreds of millions of dollars into the billions, Netflix is reportedly considering purchasing leagues outright in order to be able to leverage its nearly 240 million worldwide subscribers to help grow the league. The streamer would obviously also use its proven formula of sports-focused docuseries to help endear the league’s competitors to a wider audience.
In addition to “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing,” Netflix is the home to a number of other sports-centric unscripted series, including the “Untold” series of documentaries, “Quarterback,” “Tour de France: Unchained,” “Break Point,” and a number of upcoming series following athletes in track and field, soccer, rugby, and NASCAR.
What Other Live Events Has Netflix Hosted?
While the Netflix Cup will be the first-ever live sporting event for the streamer, it won’t be the first-ever live event. That distinction goes to Chris Rock’s “Selective Outrage,” which was broadcast live on the platform on March 4, 2023. The responses to Rock’s set were mixed as some found some of his jokes to be offensive, but the streaming experience essentially went off without a hitch.
However, the next month, the streamer attempted to host a live reunion for members of reality show “Love Is Blind,” but a substantial delay frustrated viewers and led many to give up on watching the event as it happened… or as close to it as possible.
After that disappointing live outing, Netflix vowed to only do live events when it was ready and it made sense. Over the summer reports started to circulate that the streaming leader was looking to get back into the live space with a golf tournament that we now know will be known as the Netflix Cup.
Hopefully, for the streamer and viewers’ sake, the issues that plagued the “Love Is Blind” reunion will be resolved in time for the Netflix Cup to tee off.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.