As eSports grows in popularity, more and more tech companies are looking for ways to enter the already competitive market. With Netflix recently announcing its interest in entering the video game market in its July, 2021 earnings call, it would not be too surprising to leverage its already popular streaming services and new-found video game interests to one day enter the world of eSports streaming. That being said, one obvious hurdle Netflix would have to face is the lack of patents. While Netflix is known for being IP-focused, none of its current patents relate to eSports.
While that may sound like it would put them behind compared to more well known streaming platforms like Amazon-owned Twitch, Netflix might have a trick up its sleeve for getting a jumpstart in the industry. With its recent announcement of a streaming deal with Sony for the exclusive streaming rights of Sony Pictures, suspicions are already on the rise that a Netflix and Sony partnership is in the works for Netflix’s new gaming service. If this is the case, it is possible that this partnership might extend into eSports streaming as well. This partnership would likely work well for both sides as it plays to each of their strengths. Netflix is the largest streaming service globally with more than 200 million subscribers, but no form of live entertainment. Conversely, Sony has the strongest patent positioning of all companies in the eSports Patent Forecast® with heavy investment into eSports streaming, but no existing video streaming platform. Together, the two could combine to be one of the strongest eSports streaming platforms globally.
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