Netflix wanted to reinvent live TV. It hasn’t been easy.
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As Netflix cements its role as an entertainment behemoth, including with a recent bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, it is simultaneously tackling the last bastion where traditional TV has an edge over streamers: sports and live events.
But reinventing a nearly 100-year-old format for the internet age has proved challenging for one of the world’s most technologically advanced companies. “I didn’t quite grasp or comprehend the complexity," said Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president for nonfiction series and sports and the former TV executive who started pushing for live programming when he joined the company in 2016. “It quickly became apparent just how much of a lift that was from both a resource and an expertise and execution standpoint." Since March 2023, Netflix has broadcast more than 200 different live events, including a weekly World Wrestling Entertainment show, whose rights it snagged in a $5 billion deal.
Many events have been seamless, but others haven’t, including a November 2024 Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing matchup marred by streaming snafus. “We’re still learning a lot," said Netflix Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone. Netflix remains bullish on the potential upside.
In the U.S., YouTube and Netflix have emerged as market-share leaders among streamers, representing about 20% of total TV viewing, per Nielsen. Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters say they want in on that other 80%. The company said it has made improvements and believes it has finally cracked the code as it gears up for an international events push in 2026 and to roll out new features like live voting on competition reality shows.
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