Media Review: Streaming giants Netflix and Amazon Prime express their interest in boxing | Boxing News

WITH Showtime on its way out of the boxing game (and sports broadcasting entirely), there has been much speculation about how the hole left by the media giant will be filled. Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) will need a new broadcast home once Showtime is gone next year. And with now both HBO and Showtime no longer involved in the sport, there is an opportunity for a different broadcaster to establish itself as a true market leader.

A recent report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that Netflix, the streaming behemoth, is considering a move to become such a leader. According to the Journal, there are serious talks for Netflix to live stream a Jake Paul fight as a means of testing the waters within boxing to see if it is a viable revenue stream.

The article makes it clear that, for now, these are just discussions – as far as we’re aware there are no concrete plans for Netflix to start broadcasting boxing. Paul has two more fights left on his current contract with DAZN.

But, given that the future of boxing broadcasting is still unclear, let’s pull on this thread. Netflix will air its first ever live sporting event next week, a golf tournament called “The Netflix Cup.” It’s important to note that this tournament isn’t a part of the professional golfing calendar; it will feature athletes from Netflix’s Formula One documentary, “Drive to Survive,” and “Full Swing,” its show following professional golfers.

This will serve as an important step toward a potential move into boxing. Netflix has little to no experience of streaming live events, sporting or not, and would need to make sure it has sufficient infrastructure in place before committing to the sport. “The Netflix Cup” also exists within the same realm as Jake Paul fights; it’s not the real thing, but is close enough to attract an audience. So, if this works well, airing a Paul fight wouldn’t be too much of a leap.

Then there is the question of PBC. According to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix is considering a move beyond Jake Paul fights and partnering with the promotional outfit which, let’s not forget, currently has Canelo Alvarez on its books.

There’s no getting around it: Netflix broadcasting boxing would be huge. The subscription service is in an eye watering number of homes across the globe and if it were to introduce boxing onto its platform, the sport would be made easily accessible to potentially hundreds of millions of people. Financially, it’s unclear how much Netflix would be able and willing to throw at boxing. It’s one thing to bankroll the production of the latest season of a popular series, it’s another thing entirely to fork out for a Canelo fight. Stranger Things has the sort of rewatchability that live sport just cannot replicate.

And would Netflix take the same stance DAZN took when it first launched – that pay-per-view (PPV) will not feature on the platform? PPV events would be a significant departure from Netflix’s established business model but, as DAZN found out, it is impossible to operate in boxing as a broadcaster without them. Netflix is also notorious for cancelling series that it deems to be underperforming. Bar a small selection of fighters, there are very few in boxing who can consistently pull in large numbers of viewers. If Netflix were to commit to boxing, it would surely need to be a long-term plan, one that anticipates and can account for less-than-desirable viewing figures from time to time.

For all the complaints we make about broadcasters getting in the way of the biggest fights being made, the sport needs platforms that are fully committed to the sport and will remain committed for a long time. With stalwarts like HBO and Showtime gone, there is a danger that boxing could become more sidelined than it already is.

Netflix isn’t the only major streaming platform eyeing up a move into boxing; it has been previously reported that Amazon Prime could scoop up some broadcast partnerships with boxing promoters. Amazon Prime is much more embedded within sports broadcasting than Netflix, as it has aired major sports like football and tennis for several years now. Amazon has shown a willingness to invest heavily in content for Prime – including sporting broadcast rights – and could be an exciting addition to the boxing landscape.

What a fascinating proposition, though: Netflix and Amazon Prime competing against one another to broadcast live boxing. If these reports are true and these two streaming giants do want to be involved, that is a pretty glowing commendation of the state of the sport. There’s plenty wrong with it, but it still holds significant value.

Was the Fury-Ngannou pay-per-view a success or a failure? (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

On the topic of value, according to a recent report, Tyson Fury’s harder-than-expected fight with Francis Ngannou did not produce the sort of PPV sales its organisers would have hoped for. Dave Meltzer, writing for the Wrestling Observer, claims Fury-Ngannou sold approximately 56,000 buys on ESPN+ and around 11,500 on traditional television in the US.

However, who knows if those are figures are accurate. Meltzer predominantly covers professional wrestling, though does also write about MMA. He is not a regular boxing reporter, so one has to question where he’s getting these figures from, particularly as exact PPV sales numbers in boxing have become more and more protected in recent years.

If those numbers are correct, they are obviously embarrassing for such an event. However, with the fight taking place in Saudi Arabia, it was not aired at prime time for a US audience. Plus, with the Saudis funding it, how much did the PPV sales really matter for this one?