• UFC made its big debut on Paramount+ over the weekend, and devoted fans noticed the heavy ad load; now Dana White has addressed it directly and unapologetically. Read the story.
• First at FOS: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza’s earnest LinkedIn posts have gone viral multiple times over the course of the season on his way to winning the Heisman and the CFP national title; now LinkedIn confirms what many guessed was coming: it’s in talks with Mendoza for a partnership. Read the story.
• NBA legend Allen Iverson visited Australia and it didn’t go well; fellow basketball players from NBA alum Andrew Bogut to Australian pros are calling out AI. Read the full story.
• We’ve covered the financial struggles of Michael Johnson’s track startup Grand Slam Track since its inception; GST filed bankruptcy last month, and now court docs reveal the company had more than $40 million in debt and only generated $2 million in revenue. Read the story.

Netflix’s growing efforts in live events received a sizable boost from last week’s free climb of a Taipei skyscraper by Alex Honnold.

The streaming giant said Tuesday that it reached 6.2 million global views for its Jan. 24 coverage of Skyscraper Live, the company’s latest foray into live sports programming and one that documented Honnold, a noted rock climber, scaling Taipei 101—one of Asia’s tallest buildings at 1,667 feet—without ropes or a harness.

It’s important to note that the viewership figures are based on Netflix’s internal data, and they were not tabulated by an established audience measurement agency such as Nielsen. That differs materially from how Netflix’s NFL games, which briefly held a league streaming record and helped lift the entire U.S. streaming business last month, have been tracked.

Instead, the latest metric more closely resembles those for events such as the 2024 boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which generated an estimated average minute audience of 108 million. The international data from that event was first-party, unaudited numbers, while U.S. figures were compiled with the aid of advertising technology firm TVision.

Viewership for Skyscraper Live was likely hampered, at least to some degree, by a weather delay that pushed the climb from an originally scheduled Friday night broadcast, in U.S. time zones, to Saturday night. The initial data reflects viewership that happened live Saturday and then on demand Sunday.

Skyscraper Live ranked third last week among English-language Netflix shows in total views behind His & Hers and Season 1 of Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials. Easily leading Netflix last week, though, was the heist movie The Rip with 40.4 million views.

Growing the Business 

Still, Netflix plans to push more into live events, particularly in sports—even as it continues to avoid standard, full-season rights packages.

In addition to its work in sports such as football, boxing, and professional wrestling, Netflix this spring will start a three-year rights deal with MLB, beginning with a March 25 opening-night game between the Yankees and Giants and including other key events such as the Home Run Derby and the 2026 Field of Dreams game. 

In an earnings report last week, Netflix also said in a letter to shareholders that live events such as the NFL games drove “disproportionate excitement and signups” for the service during 2025’s fourth quarter.

“We’re starting to see benefits to retention, too,” from live events, particularly in sports, said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos in an earnings call.

Skyscraper Live was also the Netflix debut of newly added talent Elle Duncan, who joined the company after a celebrated stint at ESPN.

What it cost the Secret Service to bring President Trump to the Daytona 500 last year. A new trove of records obtained by FOS show how much it costs to protect Trump as he criss-crosses the country to attend sports events.

Here are some other stories we’re watching today.

• Chinese sneaker giant Anta has spent nearly $2 billion for a 29% stake in Puma—and isn’t ruling out buying the entire thing. Read the story.
• Nike cut 775 corporate jobs as it continues to work on its turnaround under still-new CEO Elliott Hill. Read the story.
• The Chiefs named two finalists for who gets to design their $3 billion new home: one design firm did the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and is doing the Titans’ new stadium, while the other firm did the Sphere in Las Vegas and is designing the Bills’ new stadium. Read the story.

—NBA legend John Wall to FOS on the recent trend of players going to the pros and then returning to play in college. Read or watch our full interview with Wall in which he also talks injuries and NIL dollars.

Rangers ⬇ The Senators came into Madison Square Garden and dominated, winning 8–4 over the Rangers. The loss was New York’s fifth straight, with the team being outscored 30–12 during that stretch. The Blueshirts sit in last place in the Eastern Conference and are trending toward being sellers at the trade deadline.

Mark Stone ⬆ The Golden Knights right winger extended his point streak to nine games, scoring a game-winner in overtime to help the team win over the Kings. The goal was his 16th on the season, putting him three away from tying his season total from last year.

Jonathan Kuminga ⬆⬇ The Warriors forward has demanded a trade away from the team on the first day he was eligible to do so. Kuminga signed a two-year, $46.8 million deal in September, but he has been in and out of Steve Kerr’s rotation, last appearing in a game on Dec. 18. 

MLB international signing period ⬆ Thursday marked the first day that teams could officially sign eligible international prospects. The Giants made the biggest splash, giving shortstop Luis Hernandez from Venezuela a $5 million signing bonus. Another notable signing was shortstop Wandy Asigen, who signed with the Mets for $3.9 million. Asigen previously agreed to a deal with the Yankees before backing out of the deal in December.

Can you rank the NFL players by the most career sacks?