Joey Chestnut, the 16-time Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion with 55 world records, will face his former rival Takeru Kobayashi in a Netflix special titled "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef" on September 2, marking their first competition since 2009.
The event aims to settle a 15-year rivalry between the two iconic competitors, with Kobayashi planning to retire after facing Chestnut one last time due to health concerns.
Netflix is increasing its live sports offerings, including streaming the Chestnut vs. Kobayashi event, the Tyson-vs.-Paul boxing match, and two NFL games on Christmas Day 2024, as well as its deal with WWE.
Chestnut's participation in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was cancelled due to a sponsorship dispute with Impossible Foods, a plant-based meat company that is a rival of Nathan's.
The Major League Eating (MLE) organization cited "hot dog exclusivity provisions" that have been in place for nearly two decades, preventing Chestnut from promoting rival hot dog brands while being paid an appearance fee by Nathan's.
Sources: CNN, NBC News, CNBC, CBS News, The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, AP News, Business Insider, Slate, The Washington Post, Fox News, and The New York Post.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
