The Wall Street Journal has an interesting exclusive on how Netflix has been trying to score some points in the wide world of streaming sports, not unlike Apple. So far, we’ve seen Apple stream a full Major League Baseball season of Friday night games, and the company bought a decade of streaming soccer rights, which starts next year. Plus, Apple TV+ already competes with the former DVD rental service on original shows and movies.
Meanwhile, Netflix pursued low-cost ways of diversifying its own catalog with streaming sports. The Journal reports that Netflix has considered bidding or has bid on specific sports streaming rights in Europe:
The company recently bid for the streaming rights for the ATP tennis tour for some European countries, including France and the U.K., but dropped out, one of the people said. It also discussed bidding for a series of other events including U.K. rights to the Women’s Tennis Association and cycling competitions, the people said.
What’s even more intriguing is the possibility of a subscription video service just outright buying a sports league. That’s apparently what Netflix attempted to do with surfing:
The company late last year was in talks to buy the World Surf League, but negotiations fell apart because the two organizations couldn’t reach an agreement on a price, people familiar with the potential deal said.
The Journal goes on to explain how sports streaming could create new opportunities for Netflix:
Some Netflix executives believe that given the size of its platform, Netflix could turn lesser-known sports like surfing into big franchises, and create new sporting tournaments or events, the people said.
That strategy has sort of already played out for Formula 1 racing. The Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive has certainly increased interest in the racing sport.
Unfortunately for Netflix, it’s Disney’s ESPN that benefits the most as it outbid Netflix for Formula 1 streaming. Clearly, some people at Netflix still see an opportunity for other sports.
Apple, of course, has still not been ruled out as the company that wins NFL Sunday Ticket streaming rights in the US. The package is estimated to be worth $3 billion a year, and Apple has competed with Amazon and Disney for the deal. Separately, Apple TV+ includes sports documentaries and scripted series as part of its catalog. Ted Lasso’s success may even be a driving factor behind Apple’s investment in Major League Soccer.
Read the full piece form in The Wall Street Journal.
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