Sports Ticker #130: Netflix's big-hitter, F1's 2026 calendar and the controversial Enhanced Games - a speed read of commercial updates from the sports world

In a fortnight that saw a heat-laden FIFA Club World Cup 2025 kick off in the United States, the British & Irish Lions fall short against Argentina in the first leg of their 2025 tour and reviews roll in for F1: The Movie, we bring you news on Netflix’s latest boxing announcement, updates on Premiership Rugby’s record viewing figures, and a look at World Aquatic’s hard stance on the Enhanced Games.

Big hit in the box-ing office: Netflix lands global rights to Canelo-Crawford 

Netflix has secured global rights to broadcast the highly anticipated fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford to its 300 million subscribers worldwide this September. The fight will be available to all Netflix subscribers at no extra cost – a notable shift from the traditional pay-per-view model typically associated with boxing’s biggest events. The announcement builds on Netflix’s growing presence in both boxing and live sports more generally: its broadcast of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson last year drew in 108 million viewers, and in late December it was announced the service had obtained exclusive US rights to the next two editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Whether this latest move reshapes the sports streaming landscape or simply strengthens Netflix’s growing foothold, it’s another clear sign of the platform’s evolving ambitions in live entertainment.

Viewership figures explode for TNT Sports and Premiership Rugby

Average audiences across the Premiership Rugby 2024-25 season rose by 10% compared to the previous year, TNT Sports has announced. According to the latest figures, the growth was supported in part by TNT’s broadcast partnership with the English Premier League (EPL); viewership for Premiership Rugby matches increased by a striking 47% when scheduled directly after an EPL fixture. Building on this momentum, TNT Sports renewed its partnership with Premiership Rugby this May, securing a long-term contract through the 2030-31 campaign which will see TNT Sports broadcast all 93 matches of each campaign on their linear channels or Discovery+ streaming platform. “The relationship with TNT is so important to us”, marks Rob Calder, Chief of Premiership Rugby, “and being in a place where you have an aligned partnership with a broadcaster is critical to growth”.

It’s all over for Imola as the F1 2026 calendar is revealed

The 2026 Formula 1 calendar has been officially unveiled, with 24 race weekends scheduled between 8 March and 6 December. The season will kick off at Melbourne’s Albert Park for the second season in a row. This follows part of a restructured schedule prompted by the onset of Ramadan in March 2026, which will push back the dates of some of the Middle Eastern races traditionally held earlier in the race calendar. Another noteworthy calendar change sees the Montreal Grand Prix moving earlier in the calendar to help with the logistics of cargo transportation between Montreal and Miami, where the following race will take place three weeks later. Imola’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will also drop off the schedule to be replaced by debutant Madrid, which will take centre stage as the official Spanish Grand Prix despite Barcelona remaining a fixture on next year’s calendar. As with 2024, the season will wrap up with six races in seven weeks, finishing under the lights in Abu Dhabi.

Ranking protection introduced for players who freeze eggs and embryos

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced new rules that will protect the ranking of female tennis players who freeze their eggs or embryos in order to plan for a family later in life. Under the policy, any player ranked within the world’s top 750 who spends more than ten weeks out of competition for fertility treatment will be eligible for ranking protection. This can be used to enter up to three tournaments (excluding WTA 1000 events) within ten weeks of their return. The move has received widespread support from players and fans across the tennis world. For 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who has twice frozen eggs without any ranking protection, the new rules will mean players “don’t feel forced to come back early and risk their health”. The decision is the latest in a growing series of WTA initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges female athletes face when balancing their careers with family planning, alongside paid maternity leave and fertility treatment grants.

A swashbuckling sponsorship: Titan Spirits x Clyde One Design Regatta

Titan Spirits has been confirmed as the headline sponsor for the 2025 Clyde One Design Regatta set to take place at the Royal Gourock Yacht Club on the banks of the river Clyde this July. Capitalising on synergies not seen since the age of the pirate, the specialist rum distiller will team up with the sailing event as part of efforts to deepen its commitment to community engagement in Scotland, where the company originates. Regatta Chairman, Duncan Monro, has celebrated the partnership as a major triumph for this year’s gathering: “Titan Spirits brings a fresh energy to the regatta… their sponsorship is a great boost to the event, and we’re excited about what we can achieve together”. Organisers hope the addition of the partnership will further catalyse the growing popularity of the Regatta, which this year is set to feature such prominent sailing fleets as the Etchells, Long Longs, Pipers and Flying Fifteens. 

Extra time...

…and finally, World Aquatics has become the first international sporting federation to prohibit athletes, coaches and other officials from participating in its events if they also participate in the new Enhanced Games. For those who are unfamiliar, the Enhanced Games is a multi-sport event (in some ways similar to the Olympic Games and in many ways not) wherein athletes are both permitted and encouraged to use performance-enhancing substances in order to “push the boundaries of human performance” and grasp victory at any cost. The inaugural tournament, which is due to take place in Las Vegas next May, has certainly drawn its fair share of controversy already. In May, for example, organisers announced that the Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev had unofficially broken the 50m freestyle world record after taking banned substances. Whilst many are likely to tune in for what is set to be an interesting entry to the world sporting calendar, World Aquatics will not be one, having introduced the new bylaw in order to “reinforce its steadfast commitment to the sport”.