Netflix is officially entering the major leagues. The streaming giant is kicking off its Major League Baseball partnership this week with the Yankees taking on the Giants on opening night, and it’s betting big on making baseball a marquee event for its platform.

This isn’t Netflix’s first swing at live sports. The company has already scored wins with NFL and WWE coverage, and now it’s bringing that same energy to baseball. But here’s the thing: Netflix isn’t just streaming random games. The company is taking a strategic approach by focusing on three major events this season, the opening night game, the Home Run Derby, and the Field of Dreams game between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies on August 13.

Netflix is paying an average of $50 million per season for three years to secure these exclusive events, and they’re getting worldwide rights. The move came after ESPN dropped out of its MLB rights deal last February, leaving the league with inventory to sell. NBC and Peacock picked up “Sunday Night Baseball” and the Wild Card Series, but Netflix landed the premium events.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s VP of nonfiction series and sports, explained the strategy: “On opening night, there’s only one game, and it’s on Netflix. And then doing the Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams, we can capitalize on the renewed fandom and energy around baseball”. The idea is that by focusing on special events rather than a full season, Netflix can attract both hardcore fans and casual viewers who might not normally tune in.

The opening night broadcast is stacked with talent. MLB Network is producing the game with Matt Vasgersian handling play-by-play duties, while former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and retired player Hunter Pence provide analysis. Elle Duncan, who joined Netflix from ESPN, will host the pregame and postgame coverage alongside baseball legends Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols, plus Anthony Rizzo.

One of the most compelling storylines involves Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a Northern California native who had the chance to sign with the Giants as a free agent in 2022 but instead inked a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay in New York. Meanwhile, the Giants are debuting new manager Tony Vitello, who’s making the jump from college ball after leading Tennessee to a College World Series title in 2024.

Netflix’s strategy of doing fewer events actually makes talent more willing to participate. As Riegg noted, stars don’t have to commit to “a really long schedule or a high volume of commitment”, which opens doors to getting big names on board. The company has already shown it can handle live sports successfully, having streamed all 47 games of the World Baseball Classic in Japan. Plus, it has the U.S. rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cups.

The betting strategy here is clear: Netflix believes that focusing on premium events will pull in existing fans while recruiting new audiences who might not have otherwise tuned in. Whether it works remains to be seen, but opening night should give us a pretty good preview of what’s coming.