Advanced Television

Netflix’s sporting expansion: What’s been streamed thus far and what’s still to come?

October 27, 2025

Streaming has upended the way we watch television, but in recent years, one player has rewritten the entire script for live sport—and it isn’t ESPN, Sky Sports or CBS. It’s Netflix.

The streaming giant dipped its toes into the sporting world with a slew of docuseries headlined by the esteemed F1: Drive to Survive, which in turn led to shows such as golf’s Full Swing and tennis’ Breaking Point. However, now, it’s not just documentaries that the billion-dollar company will be showcasing to its legion of subscribers. Live sports are now streaming live and readily available on Netflix.

The days when the platform was best known for bingeable dramas now feel quaint. In 2025 and beyond, Netflix wants your Friday nights, your Super Sundays – perhaps even your summer World Cups. So, what has the American outfit streamed thus far, and what is still to come in its sporting expansion? Let’s take a look.

Netflix’s NFL Revolution: Setting the Bar on Christmas Day

December 25th, 2024. For the first time, the NFL found a new home: two live games streamed exclusively on Netflix for a reported $150 million – a figure almost unthinkable for a streaming debut. The Kansas City Chiefs demolished the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10. Hours later, the Baltimore Ravens eviscerated the Houston Texans, 31-2. But in truth, these scores only tell part of the story.

With a three-year deal inked, Netflix broke new ground. Nielsen reported an extraordinary 26.5 million US viewers and a total reach of 65 million American households. Globally, over 30 million tuned in for each contest. With Beyoncé dropping jaws in the halftime show and social timelines ablaze with instant reaction, Netflix had delivered not just sport but genuine cultural moments.

This year, more games will be broadcast, with the Super Bowl-contending Chiefs in action once more. No doubt Netflix will be aiming to capitalize on the Taylor Swift effect, with the American pop princess engaged to KC tight end Travis Kelce. But the Arrowhead outfit is without question one of the NFL’s finest teams this year, as they have been for the last eight, with websites allowing one to place a bet on the Super Bowl listing the Chiefs as a +750 second-favorite for the Lombardi. Anyone looking to bet on the Super Bowl will be watching this team particularly closely.

There’s no doubt then that the reigning AFC Champions are certainly worth top billing on Netflix, hence why they were broadcast both last year and now again this year. The streaming service will be aiming to iron out the technical hiccups that hindered their coverage of Patrick Mahomes, Kelce, and Tay-Tay in 2024, but the message remains clear: Netflix could handle prime-time football, with all its spectacle and scrutiny.

WWE Roars onto the Platform

In a move that stunned both Wall Street and the wrestling world, Netflix inked WWE’s flagship Monday Night Raw in a monster ten-year, $5 billion contract—nearly double what Comcast had previously paid. It’s been reported that the jump isn’t just financial: it’s strategic, giving Netflix a weekly live tentpole to keep global subscribers locked in.

The returns so far? Astonishing. Millions of viewing hours tallied in the first half of 2025, with US episode audiences increasing to 3 million per episode by August 2025. Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Bianca Belair—they are now more than wrestling icons; they are magnets for Netflix’s live content play. The data is relentless: churn down, rewatches up, global accessibility finally delivered for a sport whose fanbase runs from London to Lagos.

Boxing Without Pay-Per-View

If the NFL proved Netflix could elbow onto the sports main stage, boxing proved something more radical: that it could defy decades of pay-per-view logic. Working with Most Valuable Promotions, Netflix staged center-stage bouts with an emphasis on open access. In November 2024, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson became an unlikely blockbuster, peaking at a staggering 60 million concurrent streams. “Unprecedented,” broadcaster after broadcaster admitted. In boxing, numbers matter—and these numbers are seismic.

Yet the Paul-Tyson circus wasn’t a one-off: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano III shattered records for women’s sporting events. September’s Canelo Álvarez-Terence Crawford bout was another technical and cultural knockout, 41.4 million total streams, with 36.6 million of them live. Netflix hasn’t just bought the rights to these megafights; they have bought broadcasting relevance.

The Tennis Gambit

And what of tennis? The answer: Netflix staged its own show. March 2024’s ‘Netflix Slam’—a battle of generations between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, with the younger hungry lion prevailing over his iconic veteran compatriot in super tiebreak fashion. Organized by Netflix, it was less a broadcast rights coup than a statement of intent: Netflix wants to make tennis dramatic and unmissable on its terms.

Next Up: The Women’s World Cup and Global Sport’s Streaming Future

Then came the power move: exclusive US streaming rights to the next two FIFA Women’s World Cups, set to take place in the summers of 2027 and 2031. The groundbreaking deal marks a paradigm shift: for the first time, a global football juggernaut moves exclusively to a streaming platform. All 64 matches in Brazil in 2027, all live and on-demand, for Netflix’s (currently) 67 million American subscribers.

By the time the 2031 World Cup kicks off, the tournament will host 48 teams, with U.S. viewership projections in the millions. Add in the exclusive docuseries, and Netflix’s intent is unmistakable: harness the emotion and amplify the spectacle, from Madison Square Garden to Maracanã.

Categories: Articles, Content, Rights

Tags: , , ,