Netflix Looking to Livestream Golf Tournament Featuring Celebrities from ‘Drive to Survive,’ ‘Full Swing’
Netflix is ready to get back on the horse. After a disastrous fumble of its last livestreamed event, the world’s largest streaming service is making another foray into the world of live broadcasts. The Wall Street Journal exclusively reported that Netflix is looking to create a celebrity golf tournament that it will livestream sometime this fall, marking the first time that the service has ever hosted a live sporting event.
The golf tournament will feature stars of Netflix’s two beloved sports docuseries “Drive to Survive” — which centers on Formula 1 racing — and “Full Swing” — a similar series that follows PGA Tour players. A golf tournament that features some of the world’s most well-known professional golfers would be a nice get for Netflix, and throwing in a few popular F1 drivers will only sweeten the pot.
The tournament is still in the planning stages and has not been finalized yet, however, Netflix executives have debated for over a year as to whether a live sporting event was a wise move for a service that has become so well-known for its on-demand content. The company had a false start in 2022, when it entered the bidding for rights to live F1 races, but was eventually beaten out by ESPN.
Even that failure didn’t end talk of Netflix getting involved in sports, however. In November, reports surfaced that the service had been exploring acquiring European streaming rights to tennis and other sports. The same reports suggested that Netflix was looking into purchasing a niche sports league of its own, though nothing has come of those whispers thus far.
Still, Netflix has been plugging away at building its repertoire of live broadcasts. Its first livestream event was the stand-up comedy special “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,” which went well enough to set the stage for more live events. The “Love is Blind” reunion was a disastrous step back for Netflix, but it showed why the company was being so deliberate in adding more live shows to its schedule.
The world of live sports streaming is a crowded one, and it’s getting fuller all the time. A new player just entered the game, and while this proposed golf tournament would be Netflix’s first live sports stream, it’s unlikely to be its last. Whether Netflix decides to pursue big-ticket sports rights in the future, or whether it creates more of its own sports events to stream, the rest of the industry is now on notice that the world’s largest streamer could be about to enter the sports streaming business.
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.