Netflix, Virtual Crowds, and Why I'm Yelling Business Ideas at My TV
How watching a boxing match from my couch turned into a product pitch for the future of live entertainment
Watched Canelo-Crawford on Netflix last weekend, lying on my couch like any reasonable person would. And honestly? Netflix is doing something really cool with sports entertainment.
I have huge respect for how they're creating new formats in such a traditional industry. The mini-series about the American basketball team's Olympic journey to Paris? One of my favorites. That's where I discovered Stephen Curry is actually incredible - and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't really watch basketball as sport. I knew who LeBron was (because who doesn't?), but Stephen was totally new to me.
So naturally, I went and watched his MasterClass, and now my basketball shots are actually better. I play alone these days - used to play on my school team, then stopped for years, and recently came back to it. It's weirdly calming. Those quick wins are such a different rhythm from founder life where you're making bets that take years to play out. Same reason I love quick coding sessions - immediate results just feel good.
Life as Entertainment
What Netflix is doing is essentially turning sports and life into series. They're creating new forms of entertainment that make you think differently about what content can be.
Apple does big public releases every six months or so. Some companies try to turn their quarterly updates into events. Asana has their events thing going. But it's still not quite... alive, you know?
I keep thinking - what if company life could actually be filmed and shown as a series? We have so much happening - new features, crisis moments, breakthroughs. Learning to tell those stories from the inside out is a real art, and watching Netflix do it so well makes me want to figure this out someday.
The Part Where I Think About Money
The Canelo-Crawford fight? 70,482 people in Allegiant Stadium. That's the largest boxing audience ever in Vegas. Plus millions more watching through Netflix's 300+ million global subscribers.
But here's what I'm wondering: Why do people buy tickets to these events? They sold 74,000 tickets to this fight. That's huge money. And honestly, these people are seeing worse than I am on my couch.
What are they paying for? Connection. Emotion. Being part of something bigger.
So here's the question: What would make remote viewers willing to pay more? How do you create that feeling of being there when you're not?
My Weekend Idea
What if we gave people special interactive tickets that let them be heard in the actual arena?
You're watching from home, you yell at your TV, and through some audio magic, your voice joins thousands of others piped into the venue through dedicated speakers. The volume would be controlled so it adds to the atmosphere without overwhelming the physical crowd.
I'd pay for that. Especially when watching someone I care about compete.
Turns Out This Isn't Crazy
The NBA actually tried something like this during their bubble season. 90% of virtual fans wanted to do it again. Over 650,000 people tried to get in, with 50,000+ fans hosted across 172 games. The tech worked - 1-2 second latency, stable throughout.
WWE tried it too with their ThunderDome, but that became a content moderation nightmare. The lesson? The demand exists, the tech works, you just need to execute it properly.
Why Netflix Could Make This Happen
They've got everything in place: 302+ million subscribers globally, they added 19 million new ones in Q4 2024 alone (largely from live sports), and they're already thinking about sports as entertainment, not just competition.
Start with WWE - those fans already expect to participate. Test it, learn, then expand to boxing, MMA, eventually those NFL games they're streaming.
Even LeBron said virtual fans helped during the pandemic. But imagine if you could actually feel like your energy reaches the arena, not just see yourself on a screen.
The Personal Part
I remember the first time I watched a fight live - it was my kickboxing trainer Dasha, before she made it to UFC but still a serious professional bout. The feeling of watching live when you know the person? Completely different experience.
I would absolutely pay to yell support that she might actually hear. Especially now that she's in the UFC. Dasha's amazing - super kind and calm in person, but when she moves, you can feel she's a death machine.
Anyway
Sometimes good ideas come from simple questions. Like: why can't remote viewers be part of the show?
If you know anyone at Netflix, tell them about the virtual cheering idea. The tech exists, the demand is there, and they're perfectly positioned to make it work.
Going to finish watching Canelo-Crawford now. Hope everyone's having a good weekend.