Stars of two Netflix sports series will face off in The Netflix Cup, the streamer’s first live sports event, at a match play tournament next month at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.
Drivers and golfers from Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Full Swing will compete on the 18-hole, championship golf course to kick off the week of the inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Netflix Cup will stream live on Netflix at 3 p.m. PT Tuesday, November 14.
The roster includes Formula 1 drivers Alex Albon (Williams Racing); Pierre Gasly (BWT Alpine F1 Team); Lando Norris (McLaren Racing); and Carlos Sainz (Scuderia Ferrari), and PGA Tour golfers Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas. Four pairs consisting of one driver and one golfer will play an eight-hole match with the top two teams advancing to the final hole and a chance at the Netflix Cup title.
Netflix called the match “a first-of-its-kind live event that showcases two of Netflix’s sports programming breakouts.” Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which has helped popularize the racing cup Stateside, is now in production on its sixth season. Full Swing debuted this year and is credited with a rise in PGA Tour fan engagement. It’s finishing filming on a second season.
“We love to see how our sports series have brought increased fandom to sports leagues and competitions all over the world,” said Gabe Spitzer, Vice President, Nonfiction Sports, Netflix. “The Netflix Cup will take that energy to the next level with global stars from two popular hits competing in our first-ever live sports event.”
Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer, Las Vegas Grand Prix, said “The continued success of Drive to Survive has played a significant role in the growth of Formula 1 in the US, which has ultimately led to the addition of a third American race,” said. “It’s only fitting that we kick off our inaugural race weekend with a fun event that can be streamed by F1 and PGA TOUR fans around the globe.”
And Norb Gambuzza, PGA Tour SVP, Media and Gaming, said the organization “is proud to participate in this significant milestone for Netflix and we look forward to showcasing our sport’s professional athletes to a live global audience.”
“New and diverse audiences have come to know more about both our sports and their athletes through Full Swing and Drive to Survive, and we are excited to team up with Netflix, Formula 1 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix on this exciting concept.”
The Netflix Cup will be produced by Excel Sports Management, BZ Entertainment, and Full Day Productions (Connor Schell and David Chamberlin), the company behind the ESPY Awards, the Oscars Red Carpet Show and the NFL Honors.
The streaming giant’s other sports series include Untold, Quarterback, Tour de France: Unchained, Break Point and upcoming series following athletes in track and field, soccer, rugby and NASCAR.
Netflix execs are routinely peppered with questions about airing live sports as streaming competition increases and rivals have entered the space. They’ve said they plan to focus on their “sports adjacent” programming and extensions of that.