Netflix in talks to livestream celebrity golf tournament - WSJ

Netflix is in talks to livestream a celebrity golf tournament featuring professional golfers and Formula One drivers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The tournament will feature celebrities from “Drive to Survive”, a docuseries about Formula One auto-racing, and “Full Swing”, which followed professional golfers during the 2022 season, the report said. This would be Netflix's first sports livestreaming event if the deal fructifies.

Discussions about the tournament, scheduled for this fall, are in the early stages, WSJ said.

Netflix has been exploring investments in live sports broadcasting and is in the early days of testing live broadcasts; its first live event was a Chris Rock comedy special on March 4.

Rival streaming services Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video have already added live professional sports competitions to their line-ups, acquiring the rights to major league soccer and the NFL's Thursday night games, respectively.

Streaming platforms are looking at live sports to expand their share in an already saturated market.