Netflix looking at F1 broadcast rights: ‘Would consider that’

Streaming services are increasingly taking over from the former television channels. After streaming services started with their own series and movies, now sports matches are also being broadcast more often from these kinds of platforms. Netflix does not currently have such a service but would consider it after the success with its Formula 1 products.

‘A few years back, the Formula 1 rights were sold. At that time we were not among the bidders, but today we would definitely consider that,’ says the streaming service’s CEO, Reed Hastings, in conversation with Spiegel.de. Still, he gives varying signals in the interview, because a big fan of the rights to sports games, Hastings is not.

F1 to Netflix
‘At Netflix, we do entertainment and not journalism. That would have to be up to certain standards. We keep our hands off live sports. With that kind of broadcast, we have no control over the source. We have no control over the Bundesliga. They can make deals with whoever they want’, concludes Hastings.

So while football clearly remains out of the picture, Netflix might look at Formula 1 in the future. This would be due to the success of Drive to Survive and Schumacher, but also because Netflix would view F1 differently than other sports competitions, as F1 is not tied to each country as other sports competitions are. GP Blog