Before “Full Swing” introduced the PGA Tour stars to life on Netflix final 12 months, there was “Drive to Survive,” the favored sequence based mostly on Method One racing that performed a big position within the tour agreeing to have its story advised in a unique, extra private means.
These two issues – the PGA Tour and Method One – cross paths on Tuesday night time in Las Vegas, Nevada, when Netflix hosts its first reside sports activities occasion, the Netflix Cup, a match-play exhibition that includes 4 PGA Tour gamers and 4 F1 drivers.
It’s a giant second for the streaming service, entering into the live-action world, and it’s additionally one other step towards a broader viewers for the PGA Tour, tying into F1 whose worldwide enchantment is big.
The occasion will stream reside at 6 p.m. EST November 14 on Netflix.
Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas will signify the PGA Tour whereas Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz are the 4 F1 drivers who will take part.
There might be 4 two-player groups (one golfer, one driver), and they’re going to play an eight-hole match at Wynn Golf Membership, the one 18-hole course on the Las Vegas Strip. The highest two groups will go on to a ninth gap the place they’ll decide the winner of the primary Netflix Cup.
“Drive to Survive” is in its sixth season and can kick off per week of festivities surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix late on Saturday, November 18.
“Having these two issues intersect on the Las Vegas Grand Prix, getting the drivers along with the gamers at one of many greatest occasions in the USA is a cool alternative,” mentioned Norb Gambuzza, senior vp of media and gaming for the PGA Tour. “Netflix got here up with the thought, and we mentioned we might love to determine a technique to make this occur.”
“I feel we’ve seen these matches type of co-exist amongst all of our schedules over the previous handful of years, and I feel that is going to be an amazing occasion to tie within the precise F1 race in Vegas. I don’t know what to anticipate, however I do know it’s going to be a number of enjoyable.” – Collin Morikawa
Bringing within the F1 drivers is new for the PGA Tour.
“I’m thrilled,” Morikawa mentioned. “I used to be watching ‘Drive to Survive’ when everyone else was within the COVID period, after which everybody began getting concerned in that. I really like waking up on Sundays to look at the races now.
“I feel we’ve seen these matches type of co-exist amongst all of our schedules over the previous handful of years, and I feel that is going to be an amazing occasion to tie within the precise F1 race in Vegas. I don’t know what to anticipate, however I do know it’s going to be a number of enjoyable.”
Netflix has expanded its sports activities choices. Along with “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing,” the streaming service has produced “Untold,” “Quarterback,” “Tour de France: Unchained” and “Break Level,” with future reveals about monitor and area, soccer, rugby and NASCAR within the works.
“The extra Netflix leans into sports activities in any means form or type, it’s good for sports activities,” Gambuzza mentioned. “We’re enthusiastic about what we’ve completed with them and what we’re doing with them.”
The primary season of “Full Swing” was formulated off the success of the F1 sequence, and it did nicely sufficient that Netflix and the PGA Tour rapidly agreed to a second season, which is predicted to debut in early 2024 and culminates with the current Ryder Cup.
The primary season of “Full Swing” reached No. 2 on the Netflix high 10 in each the USA and United Kingdom and was No. 1 in Eire.
Based on Nielsen Media Analysis Evaluation, greater than 60 p.c of the viewers have been within the 25-54 age group, and 63 p.c of these viewers watched some PGA Tour protection within the two months following the sequence’ debut. That included 11 p.c who tuned in to a tour telecast after having not watched any golf within the earlier six months.
“Once we received into this mission and we went to the gamers and managers, our solely body of reference was ‘Drive to Survive,’” Gambuzza mentioned. “As we received into the participant discussions, we discovered a overwhelming majority of our gamers had been watching the present. That gave them a way of consolation about how they might be portrayed and the facility of the Netflix model.”
Past Netflix, the tour’s tv rankings have been up in 2023. NBC confirmed an general enhance of three p.c, and the 9 “signature occasions” on CBS have been up 5 p.c over the identical tournaments in 2022.
PGA Tour Reside on ESPN+ was essentially the most streamed content material on the platform, with rankings up over the earlier 12 months.
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