Netflix,
known for providing movies and television shows over the internet, may start live-streaming sports events with a celebrity golf tournament this fall.
The company is in early discussion to air the gold tournament, which features both professional players and Formula One drivers, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation.
That would be the first live sports streaming by Netflix (ticker: NFLX). Executives have been debating the idea for more than a year, the newspaper said. Other streaming services have already started to pick up sporting events such as baseball and football games, while Netflix has streamed live comedy events in the past.
Netflix shares climbed 0.6% to $426.65 in premarket trading Tuesday.
Carrying live sports events would be a new opportunity for Netflix’s new advertising business. It only recently introduced a cheaper subscription tier with ads.
Write to Brian Swint at brian.swint@barrons.com
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