Is Netflix ready to venture into the world of live sports broadcasting? It would appear so, after the streaming titan announced The Netflix Cup, a nine-hole golf match that will be broadcast live on November 14, 2023.
To be held as a leadup to F1’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 18, The Netflix Cup will feature Formula 1 drivers Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, who will be joined by PGA golfers Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas.
Gabe Spitzer, VP, Nonfiction Sports, Netflix, said, “We love to see how our sports series have brought increased fandom to sports leagues and competitions all over the world. The Netflix Cup will take that energy to the next level with global stars from two popular hits competing in our first-ever live sports event.”
The announcement of The Netflix Cup comes as Netflix continues to signal its intention to join the fray for live sports streaming, a space already occupied by Amazon, which is streaming live games from the English Premier League (EPL), the National Football League (NFL) and the professional American football league.
Earlier this year, Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said, “We really think that we can have a really strong offering for sports fans on Netflix without having to be part of the difficulty of the economic model of live sports licensing.
“We’re super excited about the success of our sports-adjacent programming.”