Netflix’s first live sports event could be a celebrity golf tournament

Netflix’s first live-streamed sporting event could be coming this fall. The Wall Street Journal reviews that the corporate is in talks to create a new, celebrity-driven golf tournament in Las Vegas that would come with a few of the stars of different sports content material on the service like Drive to Survive and Full Swing. (Disclosure: Vox Media Studios produced Full Swing, and The Verge just lately produced a sequence with Netflix.)

The talks are apparently early, however a customized, talent-driven golf tournament makes good sense as Netflix’s first foray into sports streaming. Streaming live sports is high-stakes, onerous, and costly, and the offers for big-name occasions are ever extra cutthroat. (Netflix was reportedly attempting to wrest Formula 1 protection away from ESPN, however failed to take action.) There’s a cause that ESPN’s first-ever broadcast was of a slow-pitch softball sport, and that Yahoo broadcast a London NFL sport within the wee hours of the American morning earlier than attempting something extra sophisticated. And even these extra conservative makes an attempt don’t at all times go effectively.

Netflix’s personal live-streaming repute isn’t precisely sterling, both. In April, its Love is Blind live reunion present was such a spectacular failure that the service canceled the live side of the present altogether. It did, nonetheless, handle to stream a Chris Rock comedy particular with none hiccups.

Netflix has been occupied with live content material since not less than 2022, and has signaled its curiosity in sports for years, however has at all times stated it’s in search of the proper second to get within the sport. So far, the corporate has invested closely in documentaries, to nice success: a lot of individuals credit score Drive to Survive with single-handedly making Formula 1 fashionable within the United States, and Full Swing and Break Point have been hits for golf and tennis as effectively. The firm is even signed as much as do an NFL model, known as Quarterback, that’s scheduled to drop this summer time.

A one-off golf tournament could be a take a look at case for Netflix to show to leagues and advertisers that it may possibly deal with extra complicated occasions. It could additionally be a sign of technique: the corporate has proven it may possibly use documentaries and behind-the-scenes content material to make individuals care about sports they beforehand knew nothing about, so perhaps Netflix’s sports technique will be extra underwater hockey than NHL hockey and extra toe wrestling than WWE. They would give Netflix loads of content material to stream, and loads of good mental property to make reveals about. Don’t be shocked to see Netflix’s sports community seem like Drive to Survive, however for each sport you’ll be able to probably think about.