Following Netflix’s Celebrity Golf Tournament Announcement, What Other Live Sports Could Streamer Pursue?
Netflix is entering a brave new world, though it’s not exactly an unexplored frontier. That world is live sports streaming, as reports from earlier this week suggest the company is looking to offer a live celebrity golf tournament this fall, with players pulled from its unscripted shows “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing.”
If the tournament goes ahead as planned, it will be Netflix’s first-ever live sporting event. The service has attempted two live broadcasts before; the stand-up comedy special “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,” and a reunion episode of its reality TV series “Love is Blind.” The first of these specials went relatively smoothly, but the second saw widespread issues that cannot be repeated if the company wants to become known as a competent livestreaming platform.
But from a technical aspect, livestreaming is just not that complex an issue anymore. Netflix will be able to iron out all of its problems streaming live events sooner or later, and when it does its 232.5 million global customers will show up to the service to watch live sports, despite an initial reaction that could fairly be called lukewarm. So what events could Netflix think about pursuing when it is ready to make a more meaningful commitment to live sports?
From a budgetary aspect, the answer is “Anything Netflix wants.” The service is the only streamer based in the United States to regularly show a profit, and that gives it the financial flexibility to pursue even the biggest-ticket sports broadcasting rights if it chooses.
Unfortunately for Netflix, the juiciest live sports plum won’t be available for some time. That, of course, is the NFL, whose broadcasting contracts with major TV networks like CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN run through the conclusion of the 2032-33 season. That means that smaller services like Paramount+ and Peacock, which already hold select NFL streaming rights, can rest easy for now.
Still, there are definite possibilities for Netflix if it does want to be more aggressive in its chase for more live sports. The NBA looms as one such prospect; the league allegedly wants to sell a streaming-only selection of games in its next broadcasting contract, which will be agreed to after the end of the 2024-25 season. Apple, NBC, and others have been named as potentially interested parties, but Netflix could certainly throw its hat into the ring if it wanted to.
What about baseball? MLB is currently locked in acrid bankruptcy proceedings with Diamond Sports Group (DSG), the company that owns the Bally Sports brand of regional sports networks. MLB representatives want to reclaim broadcasting rights to all of its clubs, while DSG has been intent on getting the league to agree to sell it the streaming rights to those teams, as well. Allegedly, representatives from DSG’s parent company Sinclair Broadcasting told MLB commissioner Rob Manfred they’d put the company into bankruptcy if they didn’t get the streaming rights to the teams Diamond holds broadcasting rights to.
MLB held firm, and now Bally Sports holds the streaming rights to just five MLB teams. The rest are owned by those teams or by the league itself, and Netflix could make a play for local streaming rights to clubs if it wants to. Apple TV+ and Peacock already hold the streaming rights to select packages of national MLB games, and Netflix would be able to pursue a similar arrangement with the league if it chose.
College sports could also be in Netflix’s future. The NCAA’s Pac-12 conference is also looking for a partner to take over its broadcasting in 2024, and it is running out of options. Outlets like ESPN, which formerly held Pac-12 rights, have signaled they won't be in on the bidding the next time around. Could Netflix swoop in and snag a package of Pac-12 football or basketball games at a discounted price?
Domestic FIFA World Cup rights are up for sale in 2026. The 2022 World Cup drove audiences to streaming services in huge numbers, and the combination of the World Cup brand with Netflix’s would be a marketing sensation. From a business standpoint, it makes too much sense for Netflix not to at least inquire about World Cup rights in three years. Alternatively, Netflix may consider a bid on the U.K. streaming rights to the English Premier League which come up for sale after the 2024-25 season.
The good news for Netflix is that because of its size and global presence, even the top sports leagues in the world will have fewer concerns about the size of potential streaming audiences that the service can attract. Netflix will become a big player in the sports streaming industry if it wants to, with deep pockets to buy rights with and a huge subscriber base to sell live sports to.
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