Is Netflix gearing up for a deep run into live sports programming?

With sports no longer the exclusive domain of traditional broadcast, streaming services are investing more money to bring the most exciting sports content to their platforms.

Netflix, for example, recently announced 2024 as its most-watched Christmas Day ever in the US. This was driven by Netflix’s broadcast of the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans National Football League (NFL) matches, which drew 30 million and 31.3 million average minute audience (AMA) respectively.

According to Netflix, viewers from 218 countries and territories also tuned in to at least one of the games, which the streaming titan reportedly paid US$150 million to air.

This came weeks after Netflix streamed the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, where 65 million viewers watched Paul, an actor, influencer, and professional boxer, defeat former boxing world champion Tyson.

Beginning this month, Netflix will also begin to stream weekly broadcasts of Raw, a flagship event presented by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The Netflix–WWE deal is reportedly worth US$5billion for a 10-year period, although Netflix has the option to exit after five years.

While few will realistically classify WWE events as a sporting spectacle in the truest sense of the word, it is worth keeping an eye out on Netflix’s increasing foray into live sports programming, and how it could potentially impact traditional sports broadcasters.