Netflix Slam brought great live tennis coverage

Netflix has canceled this weekend’s star-studded exhibition match between tennis superstars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. While the stakes were high on the court, the showdown in Las Vegas served best as a promotional extravaganza for the streamer as an emerging live sports destination.

Taking over Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena, Nadal, the Netflix Slam’s first pit legend, will take on the 20-year-old Alcaraz. Nadal, as he is affectionately known to millions of fans around the world, has not played since his hip injury recurred in 2023. Nadal only faced Alcaraz a few times in his career, ultimately losing to the genius player in a heartbreaking draw. break.

But no one actually lost. At least Netflix. Branding is pervasive in hotels and casinos, with about 100 pedestrians lining up to take photos in front of a “Netflix Slam” sign mounted on a giant wall of tennis balls. The service stars Charlize Theron (star of Netflix’s The Old Guard, which just finished production on a sequel), Catherine Zeta-Jones (of the blockbuster hit Wednesday), her husband Michael Douglas, and Colin Cathedral. Panic () and other internal human resources gathered together. Ava DuVernay’s “Colin in Black and White”) sits courtside.

Netflix viewers around the world enjoyed the format-breaking televised match. There were no ad breaks or the traditional B-roll of his package, and a group of veterans of the game, including Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, provided live commentary in a panel format. The three-hour broadcast included several promotions for his upcoming Netflix projects.

Netflix built a talent lounge in the back of the arena with a merchandising booth handing out half-zip sweaters, mini duffel bags, Nike visors and chic sweat towels that read “Netflix Sports Club.” La Roche-Posay, the French pharmacy’s cult-favorite skin care line, recently got a big push in America, becoming the “official sunscreen” of the U.S. Open and giving away its products freely.

Despite inbound flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas being canceled or delayed due to high winds, many of the streamer’s executives showed up (including David, CEO of Skydance and producer of Theron’s “The Old Guard”)・Ellison was also seen.) Co-CEO Greg Peters, chief content officer Bela Bajaria, chief marketing officer Marian Lee and vice president of nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer all came to shake hands.

This is the second live sporting event to be broadcast on Netflix, following last year’s Classic Golf. When asked how many of these glitzy live sports events Netflix hopes to host each year, Spitzer said, “The volume is not set in stone.” He views his live programming as an extension of his filmed sports content in his department.

“Look at any traditional sports network that broadcasts a ton of live games. They probably air a documentary after the game in hopes of getting people to watch it. It’s almost the opposite. have built significant momentum and viewership for sports documentaries. [live] It’s an extension of that,” he said.

Spitzer added that Netflix’s engineering team is becoming more agile, which could mean more spontaneous live programming.

“We’re flexible. If we know there’s going to be a great live production next month, we can figure it out. Nine months from now, obviously we have time and we can improve a little bit. “It should be. We know Netflix has this feature, so it’s possible,” he said.

The slum was also a boon for Mandalay Bay. The venue was filled with Spanish-speaking fans of national heroes Nadal and Alcaraz, and nearly 10,000 arena seats were sold out (the cat calls of “Vamos, Rafa!” and “Carlito!” were too frequent). (The audience often fell silent all at once.) The event was broadcast live in the afternoon in the United States, but in prime time in Spain. Netflix emphasized the global nature of the game, with press conferences and courtside commentary in both English and Spanish.

Nadal appears to be preoccupied with upcoming competitive matches, including the upcoming Indian Wells tournament where he may face Alcaraz again. We couldn’t resist asking him if he would consider getting into the content creation game, while going against the step-and-repeat of the “Netflix slam.” Many athletes of his caliber, including Tom Brady and LeBron James, have started production companies and dabbled in acting after his retirement.

“It’s not in my life plans,” Nadal said. variety. “Let’s see. My mind is always open to what happens and I have a desire to learn and improve. My life after tennis is well-prepared, but always open to new things. I’m open to it.”