Netflix reportedly attempted to expand its sports lineup by adding one of the most electrifying rivalry games in college football, with a strategy to “eventize” the sport.
The scoop, first detailed by Puck News, would see the streamer try to acquire the rights for the Notre Dame–USC game. A deal would’ve allowed Netflix to gain a big, standalone college football matchup rather than spending on a full-season rights bundle. However, last month, the leak of the would-be attempt sparked outrage because Notre Dame’s home-game rights are effectively reserved for NBC/Peacock, and USC’s TV footprint is tied up through its Big Ten agreements.
Netflix & USC Try to Bring Notre Dame Rivalry to the Streamer
According to the report, Netflix and USC explored ways to stage a single marquee game outside traditional home venues so the streamer could license it. For these games, they even went as far as flirting with neutral-site ideas like Mexico City or Las Vegas to bypass their current agreements, but Big Ten officials and network partners quickly squashed it, per the report.
The Big Ten’s existing media deals (with Fox, CBS, and NBC) extend through the 2029–30 athletic year, which makes unilateral rights sales by member schools practically impossible. The creative workaround would’ve been a huge get for Netflix as it continues to add appointment-style must-see events to its lineup. Last month, it was reported that the streamer is nearing a deal for the rights to the Home Run Derby for $35 million per year.
However, once the Big Ten’s legacy media partners learned of the push to sidestep, they went “berserk,” prompting a “flurry of phone calls,” a source told Puck. Although USC hoped to stage the game at a neutral site, the conference slammed the brakes on the idea, making it clear that media rights to non-conference games aren’t the schools’ to independently sell—even if played off-site, according to the report.
The Battle of Event Viewing vs. Traditional Media
For Netflix subscribers and cord cutters, the “eventize” strategy is beneficial because you can subscribe briefly for a marquee game rather than paying for a network bundle or long-term cable. Netflix already has the NFL on Christmas Day and various boxing events throughout the year. However, a detriment of the strategy is that subscribers will have another service to subscribe to and keep track of where/when the game airs.
With Netflix continuing to add more sports to the platform, and the fallout from the USC saga, the streamer has faced challenges from traditional media companies. Earlier this year, it was reported that FOX and ESPN blocked talent from appearing on Netflix’s NFL on Christmas broadcast. This Christmas, CBS Sports is set to produce Netflix’s doubleheader, with talent from NBC Sports also appearing.
As tech companies continue to expand in the sports space and more leagues continue to migrate to digital-native consumers, the media landscape will continue to change. Netflix has reportedly shown interest in bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery, which could be a game-changer. If an acquisition were to happen and Netflix wanted everything under the WBD umbrella, it would bring a major studio library, and the TNT Sports assets would strengthen Netflix’s live-event lineup.
Many viewers are concerned about the growing cost of streaming and the future shape of sports across platforms. With the Big Ten’s media rights set to expire in 2030, legacy deals and conference rules will keep most season packages on traditional network platforms for the foreseeable future. However, the Netflix-USC-Notre Dame fiasco may just be a preview of further fragmentation to come over the coming years.
Credit: Puck News