Front Office Sports

Netflix Pauses SEC Football Series for 2026

Netflix will not return for a second season of its SEC behind-the-scenes college football series, SEC Football: Any Given Saturday, during the 2026 season, according to Front Office Sports. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) says discussions with Netflix have occurred but no second season has been filmed; the conference remains open to future collaboration. The series debuted August 5, 2025, was produced by Box To Box Films, and reached roughly 3 million views (about 15.8 million hours watched) through December 2025, with an additional 200,000 views in early 2026. Netflix continues to expand its live-sports slate, including exclusive MLB and expanded NFL broadcasts in 2026 under existing rights arrangements.

Netflix Adds Kevin Costner to Field of Dreams Game

Netflix will exclusively stream the MLB Field of Dreams Game on Thursday, August 13, 2026, when the Philadelphia Phillies face the Minnesota Twins in Dyersville, Iowa. The streamer confirmed Kevin Costner will participate in this year's event, though his exact role has not been detailed. The game returns after a four-year absence following stadium upgrades to a permanent Field of Dreams complex. Netflix’s broadcast is its third live MLB event of the season and precedes the platform’s expanded NFL schedule. MLB and Netflix officials say the focus will be on preserving the event’s nostalgic setting and story rather than reinventing the telecast.

MLS Appoints Larry Berg as Next Commissioner

Major League Soccer announced Larry Berg, longtime LAFC co-managing owner, will become the league’s next commissioner on January 1, 2027, with current commissioner Don Garber moving into the role of chairman. Berg inherits a critical upcoming media-rights decision: what follows MLS’s Apple TV agreement when it expires after the 2028–29 season (shortened to 2029). Reports suggest MLS could target $400M–$500M annually in the next cycle, up from the Apple deal that was valued at roughly $2.5 billion over 10 years (~$250M/year). Berg’s LAFC experience — including a 2018 local-broadcast partnership with YouTube TV — gives him exposure to streaming-first distribution as the league evaluates options ranging from continued streaming focus to hybrid or broader traditional-TV distribution.