In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans writes about the Netflix sports content conversation strategy.
Interestingly, Netflix’s play for Barstool Sports is similar to its Netflix comedy specials (e.g., “Netflix is a Joke”). It places the importance on popular relevance and not executive preference.
You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).
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Netflix’s sports strategy is coming into focus: build audience engagement through sports conversation and culture first, rather than immediately pursuing costly, long-term live game rights. Netflix has entered into an exclusive distribution deal with Barstool Sports for three podcasts to stream on the platform. The deal is worth eight figures per year (e.g., at least $10 million per year).
In other words, conversation is the new infrastructure. Video podcasts, documentaries, and shoulder programming create recurring engagement, data, and advertiser-friendly inventory—laying the groundwork for sports fandom without the economics or scheduling risk of live rights. Why is this important for Netflix? First, it creates live and recorded sports-related content to live on the Netflix platform to keep fans engaged. Second, it sets the stage for a potential Warner Bros. Discovery purchase victory and live sports content via TNT, TBS, and streamer HBO Max. Third, the play for Barstool is about taking away from YouTube and creating exclusive content that is about the weekly play for viewers.
Strategically, if Netflix were to emerge victorious in a deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, it would instantly acquire a deep sports and sports-adjacent ecosystem—TNT Sports, long-standing league relationships, and production expertise—allowing Netflix to plug live sports into an audience already primed by conversation-driven content. Netflix’s existing approach—flexible rights structures (e.g., one-off NFL and NBA games), controlled brand environments, and selective exclusivity—would complement Warner Bros. Discovery’s legacy sports assets, enable smarter packaging of live games, shoulder content, global distribution, and mitigate long-term rights risk. It allows Netflix to host live sports more consistently without having to build the ecosystem directly.
In a post-consolidation media landscape, the winning sports strategy may belong to platforms that combine cultural relevance first with selective live sports second—and a Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery combination would embody that playbook. However, the key content and experience difference between Paramount Skydance’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix’s is that Paramount has the experience with live fights and streaming through its relationship with UFC. Interestingly, Netflix’s play for Barstool Sports is similar to its Netflix comedy specials (e.g., “Netflix is a Joke”). It places the importance on popular relevance and not executive preference.
Netflix has clearly seen success with its comedy specials despite some executives and audience members objecting to the jokes and comedians. Funny and ironic as that seems, Barstool is a well-liked program that is popular among sports fans even those who might dislike some of the programming or hosts. What this says is that content is pushing towards what people want, not what executives think people should like. That is a clear and important distinction that encourages creative freedom and should be welcomed.
In the past, ESPN made waves when it hired the best sports hosts that made the content fun and engaging. It was less about being politically correct, and more about what the fans wanted and what was good content. This is what Netflix is doing in the sports business for now. The essential piece to success will be whether programming stays true to itself and the hosts despite having corporate partners. With Pat McAfee leaving YouTube for ESPN as an example, such programming is possible. Exclusivity will also be important to watch as many of these creators and shows became popular on a more open platform like YouTube without paywalls and restrictions.
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About Jeremy M. Evans:
Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. Evans is an award-winning attorney and industry leader based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.
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