Streaming Up the Ante: Netflix's Plan for a Sports-Filled Holiday

It's no secret that Netflix is taking steps to stay ahead of the competition, and their latest move is to add some signature flourishes to their live broadcasts of two Christmas Day NFL games. In an interview at the FT Business of Entertainment Summit, Co-CEO Greg Peters revealed that the company plans to "Netflix-ify" these games, incorporating their unique style and talent to make them a memorable event. Peters mentioned that the company is particularly excited about the potential of these Christmas Day games, likening them to a special event that will put football on the forefront for just one day. "Hopefully, those will be amazing games, and we'll all be talking about what's going on there," he said. This sentiment is in line with Netflix's focus on creating unique and engaging content that sets them apart from other streaming services.However, despite their enthusiasm for sports, Peters acknowledged that acquiring major sports rights is a challenging and complex process. "Having Thursday Night Football or the NBA or things like that, we'd love to do those things. It would be amazing," he said. But for now, they are content to focus on their existing unscripted properties and other projects. In other news, Peters discussed the company's early days and their internal debate about whether to add advertisements to their platform. After years of resistance, Netflix finally launched their Basic with Ads tier in 2021, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The company has reported 40 million monthly active users of the ad tier, and their cheaper plan has driven better-than-expected subscriber growth.