DUBAI: Streaming giant Netflix is improving upon its existing sports documentary content by further cementing their position in live sports programming.
Early this month, fans were served “Netflix Slam,” which brought together two tennis greats in a one-of-a-kind exhibition match.
Gabe Spitzer is Netflix’s Vice President of Nonfiction Sports. (Netflix)
Ahead of the live event, Arab News took part in a roundtable interview with Gabe Spitzer, Netflix’s Vice President of Nonfiction Sports.
“Look at a traditional sports network that has a ton of live games, and maybe they’ll put on a documentary after and hope people watch it. This is almost the inverse… We’ve built some great momentum and great viewership for our sports documentaries and (live) is an extension of that,” said Spitzer.
The match was headlined by 22-time Grand Slam men’s singles title champion Rafael Nadal who faced off against world No. 2 (and fellow Spaniard) Carlos Alcaraz, with the latter winning the match in a nail-biting finish.
“I’m honored and so happy to be sharing the court with Rafa in Las Vegas,” US Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz told Netflix before the game. “He’s an all-time great, of course, and his records and achievements speak for themselves.”
This is the second-ever live sporting event to air on Netflix, following a golf classic last year. “The Netflix Cup” featured four pairs of one Formula 1 driver and one PGA Tour professional, playing an eight-hole golf match.
When asked how many of these splashy live events Netflix was looking to do each year in the sports category, Spitzer said there was “no set volume.”
For Spitzer, live sports is just another medium to tell engaging stories.
“What we are most proud of is having told numerous sports stories in an authentic and very accessible way for fans. The most exciting thing about working at Netflix is that great stories can come from anywhere,” confessed Spitzer, as quoted by El Vocero.
To illustrate his point, he highlighted the example of Formula 1, a sport that “wasn't that big in the United States,” but then the “Drive to Survive” series “helped” its growth.
“You can become a fan of something in the sports space that you never knew you were a fan of, thanks to great access to a good story worked with great cinematographers.”
