Netflix is betting on the broadcast of live events to build its international growth and its leadership in the streaming category. After announcing the acquisition of the exclusive audiovisual rights for Spain and Andorra of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the platform has announced that it will be in charge of broadcasting the next three editions of The Evening of the Year, the event created in 2021 by the streamer Ibai Llanos.
The company has reached an agreement to broadcast the event live and exclusively in 2027, 2028 and 2029, in such a way that it will add to its catalog one of the digital entertainment shows with the greatest capacity for attracting Spanish-speaking audiences. As Netflix points out in a statement, the average audience for The Evening of the Year in 2026 exceeded 6 million simultaneous viewers.
Original post by Ibai Llanos on Instagram.
The alliance represents a significant change in the distribution strategy of the event, which had initially built its audience mainly on Twitch, through the Ibai Llanos channel. This year it expanded its presence and reach thanks to YouTube and TikTok, and now it is making the leap to a subscription streaming platform.
It also reflects the evolution of a format that was born in the environment of content creators and that, in six editions, has acquired the dimension of great sports and entertainment spectacles. What began as a boxing competition between streamers has grown year after year to fill stadiums such as the Metropolitano, in Madrid, or La Cartuja, in Seville, and incorporated musical performances, experiences, and the participation of some of the most popular personalities in Spain and Latin America.
“Bringing it to Netflix allows us to make it even bigger without losing what makes it special”
This is how Ibai Llanos himself understands it. “In 2021 we set up La Velada in a concert hall in Barcelona without knowing how far it could go. Five years later, millions of people have seen it at the same time, and bringing it to Netflix for the next three years allows us to make it even bigger without losing what makes it special: the community that makes it possible“, commented the creator in the brand’s statement.
For Netflix, the incorporation of The Evening of the Year means adding to its catalog a live event that already has a consolidated audience, as well as a high social impact. The alliance with Ibai Llanos seeks to increase its capacity to attract international audiences.
Netflix has announced the agreement just one week after announcing the acquisition of the exclusive audiovisual rights for Spain and Andorra for the 2030 World Cup, which will take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Thus, the platform will offer the 104 matches of the competition live, although a part of the tournament will also be available for free to Spanish viewers, since one match of each day can be seen for free in Spain. In addition, Netflix will offer a national free-to-air television network a match package that will include all the Spanish team’s matches, the two semifinals and the final.
Both initiatives reflect the change in dynamics in the Spanish audiovisual market, in which major sporting events have traditionally been linked to free-to-air and pay television operators, and in which digital initiatives have been limited to online platforms. With this, Netflix expands its entertainment offering beyond series, movies and documentaries.
