Tom Brady has racked up all sorts of accolades throughout his career, including seven-time Super Bowl champion and five-time MVP, three-time regular season MVP, and 15-time Pro Bowl nominee, among others. But to this truckload of awards, Joe Rogan has just added another one: Savior of Netflix.
As the sportscaster recalled a few days ago, a couple of years ago Netflix faced the most serious crisis of its existence. After a decade of absolute market dominance, the streaming giant began to see its users flee en masse, plummeting its profits and stock value.
Between 2022 and 2023, Netflix’s stock lost a harrowing 35% of its market value, and it laid off more than 450 employees in a desperate attempt to offset its losses. The loss of Marvel IPs and its decision to ban shared accounts played a central role in this downturn, but then Tom Brady arrived.
Brady to the Netflix rescue
In episode 2307 of the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the famed sports commentator recalled that at the time, Netflix productions weren’t resonating with audiences. “They were putting on a lot of stuff that was just hot garbage because they thought this was what culture and society wanted. But the numbers didn’t work.”
That’s when the company did “The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady,”Rogan recalled, “and the numbers were the highest they’d ever had of any show on Netflix.” The commentator asserted that Netflix learned its lesson: “And then they did a lot of live comedy shows, where they couldn’t control…”
The former NFL star’s comedy special was a turning point in the streaming giant’s trajectory. In the last two years, the company has registered 40 million new users, surpassing the 300 million mark, its shares grew 139%, and its global value is estimated at $400 billion by 2025.
But comedy isn’t Netflix’s only avenue for expansion. In recent months, the red “N” brand has made successful forays into the sports arena. From NFL Christmas Day games to the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match to WWE shows, everything has been one success after another for Netflix.
Now, even Dana White is considering handing over some UFC cards to the company. The project is still in the rumor mill and possible rapprochement stage between the two entertainment giants, but if they succeed, there’s no doubt it will also be a gold mine for both parties, all thanks to Tom Brady.
