Netflix Set to Compete for English Premier League Broadcasting Rights, According to IMG Executive: 'What Stops Them?'
In the ever-evolving world of media, speculation surrounding Netflix's potential foray into the sports market continues to grow. At the recent IMG x RedBird Summit in the U.K., Adam Kelly, president of IMG, expressed his belief that Netflix will indeed enter the sports arena in the future.
The sports landscape in the U.S. has seen significant changes, with the renewal of the English Premier League (EPL) deal by NBC for a six-year agreement worth $2.7 billion. This substantial increase in value is due in part to the growing competition from broadcasters like CBS and ESPN.
Meanwhile, streaming giants like Netflix and YouTube have been dabbling in live sports, and the results have been more rapid than anticipated. Both platforms are accelerating faster than expected, indicating a growing interest in sports streaming.
However, as of now, Netflix is not part of the trillion-dollar club and has not yet acquired the rights for the English Premier League. The EPL rights acquisitions typically involve traditional broadcasters and large sports media companies, and there is currently no publicly known timeframe for Netflix to bid for these rights in the near future.
Netflix has, however, made strides in sports broadcasting. The streaming giant has acquired the rights to WWE's weekly 'Monday Night Raw,' the NFL Christmas Day doubleheader, the next two women's soccer World Cups, boxing matches like Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford and Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul bout.
In the U.K., the current broadcast rights for the EPL are split between Sky Sports and TNT Sports, with Sky taking the majority of matches, worth over $9 billion. Interestingly, Amazon Prime, which previously showed 20 matches per season, is no longer involved in EPL broadcasting.
Kelly predicts that the arrival of streamers in live sports has been a success and will continue to grow exponentially. He also anticipates that Netflix will become part of the trillion-dollar club. The popularity of soccer and the EPL in the U.S. is steadily increasing, which could pave the way for Netflix's potential entry into the sports market.
The English Premier League is considered one of, if not the biggest and best sports assets in the world. With Netflix's growing influence and success in the media industry, the possibility of their involvement in the EPL is an exciting prospect for sports fans and media enthusiasts alike. Only time will tell if Kelly's predictions come to fruition.
