Netflix lands global rights to Canelo-Crawford mega fight - Sportcal

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Global streaming giant Netflix has snapped up rights to globally broadcast the eagerly anticipated fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford to further enhance its live sports offering.

The money-spinning super-fight between two of the best pound-for-pound boxers will take place in Las Vegas on September 13.

Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, will defend his crown against the unbeaten Crawford in what is being billed as the "fight of the century".

The match-up will be available to all Netflix subscribers globally, included in all memberships at no additional cost.

The venue has yet to be finalized, though Allegiant Stadium, the 71,835-seat home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, is understood to be the top choice.

The fight will be promoted by Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Season in collaboration with Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White and the Saudi entertainment company Sela.

It marks White's first foray into boxing and signals a further deepening of the kingdom's influence over the sport.

Earlier this year, TKO Group, the sports division controlled by entertainment giant Endeavor, agreed a multi-year partnership with Sela and high-profile boxing figurehead Turki Alalshikh to launch a new boxing promotion.

The blockbuster super-middleweight bout between Alvarez and Crawford represents the promotion's debut in the sport.

Álvarez has a reported $400 million four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. That agreement allowed for one bout to be staged outside Saudi Arabia.

The Netflix deal represents a potentially transformative moment for boxing's broadcast future, with most major fights traditionally offered via pay-per-view.

The streamer offers boxing significant global exposure as the platform's coverage of the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson bout in mid-November drew over 60 million households of viewership.

Meanwhile, the service's exclusive Christmas Day coverage of two games from American football's NFL brought in almost 65 million live viewers.

Netflix began its 10-year deal with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to show its 'Monday Night Raw' program in January. The debut of Raw on Netflix brought in 4.9 million viewers across markets such as the US, the UK, Canada, and Latin America.

In terms of future live sports coverage, meanwhile, late December saw Netflix unveil a major deal for exclusive US rights to the next two editions of soccer's FIFA Women's World Cup.