Canelo v Crawford: Netflix should stick to what they are best at, and leave sports broadcasting well alone

2 old men sat behind a desk, not on site, sat chatting incessantly about what they know and what they have covered, and an MC at the venue shouting rubbish for 10 minutes before Canelo Alvarez arrives, Netflix's coverage of the so-called biggest fight of the century, has so far, been dismal. The so-called 'Grand Arrivals' were not anywhere near the level seen at the events in Riyadh, despite the fact Riyadh Season is the sponsor and the PIF is backing this event, that is due to Netflix, and it is so, so poor. I must add, I have so far been watching their content via DAZN, who are, bizarrely, streaming the pre-fight coverage from Netflix, and I do hope others do not assume this is DAZN's coverage, because Netflix v DAZN is like Grimsby Town v Manchester United, or how it should have been anyway.

If this is the so-called Free to air Boxing, then forget it. Yes, more people will see this fight than many of the fights in the last 3 decades, but what is it they are actually seeing? Two fighters in the twilight of the career, one of which has had to go up in weight to face the other, and the coverage is rank awful. You cannot just rely on something being "free" for it to be successful, and if the new TKO venture from Dana White is to rival or usurp the rest of world boxing then they have to do a deal with DAZN as quickly as possible. Netflix does a lot of great things, it creates great content, including sports documentaries and movies, but they are not a sports broadcaster, and they do not come close to DAZN, Sky, Eurosport, TNT, ESPN or other major sports broadcasters.

Netflix should be a key partner, no doubt. They should produce documentaries and series around the big sports events, just as they did with FIFA and the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and obviously, just as they have done with Formula 1 with the Drive to Survive series. Netflix has also produced series on the Tour de France, ATP and WTA Tours, PGA TOUR, and special documentaries on major boxing fights, and this content is magnificent.

They have a long way to go to be able to present live sports in a world-class fashion.

GRNDSTND, written by Matt Hooper