Netflix Considering Presenting Jake Paul Boxing Match as Live Sports Ambitions Continue to Build
A new report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that Netflix could be ready to expand its sports streaming portfolio beyond a golf tournament.
Walking before running is one thing, but Netflix seemingly wants to make sure it has crawling down before even attempting to stand on two legs in the live sports streaming game. The world’s largest streaming service recently announced details for itsplans to host a live golf tournament featuring celebrities from its shows “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing,” but so far that is the only sports content the service has attempted to offer.
- Netflix is reportedly mulling the addition of a live boxing match featuring YouTuber Jake Paul.
- The proposed boxing match would be Netflix’s second live sporting event ever.
- Netflix executives have resisted sports streaming in the past, but these events could signal a change in company thinking.
Is Netflix Getting a Jake Paul Fight?
In short, maybe. The Wall Street Journal has an exclusive report which states that a boxing match featuring boxer and YouTube star Jake Paul has been discussed by Netflix, and that it has also tossed around the idea of hosting a fight between boxers from Premier Boxing Champions, a show that is currently available on Showtime.
If Netflix did decide to host a boxing match, it would be the service’s second live sporting event in its history after the “Netflix Cup” golf tournament. In fact, it would be only the streamer’s fourth live event ever, after “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” and a disastrous “Love is Blind” reunion episode became its first and second, respectively.
The Journal reports that no deals are done yet, and talks could still fall apart between Netflix and its potential boxing partners. But if it lands a bout with Paul, it could help the streamer promote its documentary “Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child,” which came out earlier this year.
Is Netflix Changing its Mind About Live Sports?
As more word about Netflix’s interest in live sports begins to circulate, it’s fair to wonder if the streaming giant is reconsidering its position regarding live sports. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was down on sports streaming in December of 2022, when he said he didn’t think Netflix need live sports to continue adding subscribers at an unmatched rate.
“We’ve not seen a profit path to ‘renting’ big sports today,” he said. “We are not anti-sports, we’re just pro-profit. We have yet to figure out how to do it. But I’m very confident we can get twice as big as we are without sports.”
It’s possible the company has simply cracked the formula for how to make sports streaming pay. Netflix is the only member of the streaming community that regularly turns in a profit, and it’s possible its number crunchers simply figured out a way to get enough advertisers on board for its live golf tournament that it’s now willing to explore other possibilities.
Still, users shouldn’t expect the streamer to chase after a big package of NBA rights or another professional sports league any time soon. Netflix is clearly being deliberate with how it pursues live sports, and big-ticket items will have to wait until the streamer is confident that it knows precisely what it’s doing. Still, if the next step in that process is Jake Paul boxing match, it could potentially put Netflix on the map as a sports streamer in a much more meaningful way than its live golf tournament.
Netflix
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