Netflix to Host Home Run Derby July 13 With Michael Irvin On Site
It signals Netflix's push into live sports through celebrity crossover, rule changes, an entertainment-driven broadcast format.
Overview
- Netflix will stream Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby on July 13 from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, marking the event's first move off ESPN since 1994.
- Michael Irvin, the former Cowboys receiver who co-hosts Netflix's The White House podcast, will be on site as a featured contributor and plans to interview players for his show.
- The announced on-air roster mixes traditional broadcasters and former MLB stars, including Matt Vasgersian, Elle Duncan, Lauren Shehadi, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, CC Sabathia, Hunter Pence and Anthony Rizzo.
- Netflix is changing competition rules for its telecast by removing the swing clock and instituting fixed swing allotments of 20 in the first round and 15 in subsequent rounds with a homer exception on the final swing.
- The two-set broadcast format separates play-by-play and analysis from looser, entertainment-focused segments, a move designed to broaden the audience and cross-promote Netflix's wider sports content.