Netflix finally enters the arena...
As the number of content options expand and the battle for consumer attention intensifies, there are few things that captivate audiences like live sports and Netflix knows it.
96 of the top 100 most watched broadcasts of 2023 were live sports and 93 were National Football League (NFL) games.
This move does raise eyebrows though as Netflix CEO, Ted Sarandos famously said "we're not anti-sports, we're just pro-profit and we’ve not seen a profit path to renting big sports."
Soooo they must have run the numbers again?
Quietly, Netflix has already found a foothold in sports with docu-series like F1's Drive to Survive as well as dabbling in live sports with the Netflix Slam tennis match featuring Rafa Nadal vs Carlos Alcaraz.
But until now, they've taken a less traditional route and created original IP rather than licensing expensive rights packages from major leagues which is why this NFL partnership is so interesting.
The folks at Netflix are smart, so either the financial math made sense to test live sports on a bigger scale or the Christmas Day games are a trojan horse for something innovative they have planned around the holidays.
With NBA media rights up for grabs, this will be a big story to track, especially for the old guard of media companies who are already holding on for dear life.
You can’t spell Netflix without “NFL”
Netflix will be the home to watch the NFL’s 2024 Christmas Day games LIVE!
https://lnkd.in/ee_ADzQY