Quite a lot of followers tuned in and handled main streaming points when Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fought on the tail finish of 2024. Now that reside occasions like NFL video games and wrestling are coming to Netflix, the streamer has began determining its buffering points. (Although Beyoncé did troll the streamer over buffering earlier than her halftime present.) Nonetheless, as somebody who actually doesn’t care about a lot of the sports activities stuff coming to Netflix’s streaming wing, there’s one other large change I might actually prefer to see transferring ahead.
Once I’m on the lookout for new content material on Netflix, I’m not a type of individuals who peruses by means of what the streamer is recommending to me first. In any other case I’d simply be watching a litany of rom-coms like Lindsay Lohan’s Our Little Secret on a regular basis. A method I usually discover new content material is by seeing what’s widespread on the streamer each within the U.S. and globally, and testing the brand new content material on the Netflix schedule from there.
That is usually nice. Quite a lot of instances there’s overlap on each the U.S. and world lists, and it might assist me see what’s going to seemingly be renewed. It additionally offers me choices in a complete bunch of various genres of TV content material. Nonetheless, one factor I’ve observed this week is that the highest two slots on Netflix’s High 10 record have been dedicated to NFL Christmas GameDay content material. Have a look.
So the place am I going with this?
Why Netflix’s High 10 TV Checklist Ought to Change With Stay Sports activities
My large difficulty is that I personally do not need to see reside TV occasions that just lately occurred on Netflix’s High 10 record. I get why it is taking place now. The NFL Christmas day video games garnered greater than 40 million hours of viewership apiece, with greater than 14 million households tuning in for the Ravens vs Texans and roughly the identical for the Chiefs vs. Steelers game–at least on the time the 2 made the High 10 record.
It is clear that sports activities content material is widespread, and I might be keen to wager there’s some overlap between subscribers who watch sports activities and subscribers who watch authentic exhibits, however I might even be keen to wager lots of people are in the identical boat as I’m. I can’t emphasize sufficient how little I care about sports activities, and significantly reside sporting occasions that already occurred a number of days in the past.
In the meantime, from what I am seeing, the extra reside occasions Netflix provides, the extra the High 10 TV record goes to be sports activities heavy, as a result of sports activities are widespread for a big inhabitants of Netflix customers. And in contrast to exhibits like Black Doves, I do not assume customers must be informed soccer video games are widespread.
Look, I get that all kinds of sorts of content material present up on Netflix’s High lists from scripted originals to sports activities to documentary sequence and stand-up specials. Not all of them are going to curiosity me.
I additionally get that Netflix is not airing a big swathe of reside occasions… but. With solely two reside occasions on the High 10 record, there are many extra objects on the Netflix High 10 record that enable me to select from a large swath of content material. However as Netflix strikes an increasing number of into reside content material as a way to garner higher promoting charges, I hope they give you an answer that works for each sports activities and non-sports followers.
One Method To Repair The High 10 Checklist Situation
What I’d prefer to see the streamer do finally is add a separate High 10 record for sports activities. To me it could be the best, and least painful method to separate out audiences and nonetheless reveal what content material has been hottest on the streamer. That approach individuals who love the WWE and are on the lookout for latest content material don’t should cull by means of the Stranger Issues of the world whereas folks on the lookout for widespread originals and new scripted content material don’t should be slowed down by sports activities.
It could take a while earlier than Netflix has sufficient sports activities or reside content material to have the ability to fill a complete High 10 record. I’m not anticipating change instantly, however I might similar to to know that the record has been a extremely useful method to discover content material that’s much less more likely to get canceled after one season, after we know Netflix is more likely to cancel content material after one season.
As of subsequent week, the WWE’s Monday Night time RAW is leaving cable and heading to Netflix on January 6. Increasingly sports activities are more likely to proceed getting added. Perhaps the High 10 record is not an enormous precedence for Netflix proper now, however I hope it will likely be longterm, because the instances they’re a-changin,’ whether or not or not folks like reside sports activities on Netflix.