Netflix considered ATP tennis bid
November 10, 2022
Netflix recently made an offer for the live streaming rights to the ATP tennis tour for some European countries – including the UK and France – but eventually pulled out of the bidding.
It’s possble that Netflix was put off the deal by the cost, but the Wall Street Journal, where the report originated, added that Netflix could look to other lower-profile sports – such as surfing and cycling – as CEO Reed Hastings has said the company does not want to get into bidding wars every few years and could look to buy stakes in sports leagues. Netflix was also reportedly in the running for Formula 1 rights last month, but eventually lost out to Disney/ESPN.
“Sports is the baseline now, we all know it, and finding the right properties, the right leagues is a priority, but it is always a question of the right league, the right deal,” a Netflix insider told Deadline.
Prime Video currently covers both the ATP and WTA Tours, but those deals only run to the end of the 2023 season. The streaming platform has already lost its rights to the US Open which will be shown on Sky from next year.
Streaming services have increasingly turned to live sports in an effort to boost subscribers, with Prime Video holding the rights to a package of Premier League football, NFL’s Thursday Night Football and the aforementioned tennis, while Apple has secured deals for Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.