Westminster is coming to Netflix. The dogs get Madison Square Garden, a global streaming platform and a carefully organized finale. The cats get to sit in front of the television and obstruct all three.
The Westminster Kennel Club and Netflix announced the partnership on May 13. Beginning with the 2027 show, the famous canine competition will have a new streaming home. From this small corner of the cat internet, we congratulate the dogs. Through slightly narrowed eyes.
When and Where to Watch
The Kennel Club’s announcement sets out a split schedule for its 151st show:
- January 30: the Canine Celebration at New York’s Javits Center includes the Masters Agility Championship, which will be recorded for later streaming.
- Daytime breed competitions: coverage from the Javits Center will stream live on Tudum and Westminster’s website.
- February 1–2: evening group judging at Madison Square Garden will stream live on Netflix, with Best in Show awarded on February 2.
Norwegian judge Espen Engh is scheduled to choose Best in Show. The organizers expect more than 3,000 champion dogs representing 200 breeds. Netflix’s Westminster page is another place to follow the viewing details as the event approaches.
The distinction between live and recorded coverage matters: the announcement does not promise that every competition will be live inside the Netflix app. Anyone particularly invested in agility should check its later streaming schedule rather than assume it shares the finale’s arrangement.
A Dog Show Makes Sense as an Event
You can see the appeal of Westminster without a confidential Netflix strategy document. It has a recognizable identity, contestants viewers can immediately root for, and a final decision around which to organize an evening.
You also do not need to understand every detail of breed judging to develop a powerful attachment to a dog you first saw twelve seconds ago. By the time the commentator has finished introducing it, somebody on the sofa has decided the entire judging profession is wrong.
That is my reading of the event’s entertainment value, rather than a claim about Netflix’s audience forecasts or the deal’s finances. The actual test will be how well the broadcast helps familiar fans follow the competition and gives newcomers a reason to stay.
The Cats Would Like a Word
Netflix has, of course, made room for felines before. Its documentary series Cat People explores people’s relationships with their cats. The mock grievance here is more specific: Westminster gets the grand live competitive occasion. We would quite like a feline invitation to that sort of party.
And cats already have organized shows. The Cat Fanciers’ Association’s 2025 International Show and Expo information included judging competitions and feline agility. The sport does not have to be invented from scratch, although our imaginary television version may take certain liberties with the format.
Picture the broadcast. Three cats are asleep on the agility equipment. The judge approaches a Maine Coon; the Maine Coon requests a different judge. The commentary team spends forty minutes interpreting a tail flick. Best in Show is delayed because the leading contender has discovered the transport box and changed its priorities.
We would watch. We would have opinions about the tail analysis. We would probably demand a replay.
A Different Kind of Feline Prime Time
Cats also have an entertainment advantage that needs no official competition: their willingness to make something interesting happen at an entirely inconvenient moment. A neatly scheduled final is one thing. A cat suddenly deciding that the bookshelf is a launchpad is another production model altogether.
Our history of cat memes follows some of the ways that unscripted appeal has traveled online. There is plenty of room for both the polished event and the tiny domestic performance whose star refuses to repeat the trick.
For Westminster viewers, the practical news is the move to a new platform and the announced February dates. For the rest of us, it is an excuse to imagine a Best in Show winner walking off mid-coronation because someone opened a cupboard.
February 2027 has a prestigious appointment for the dogs. The cats will consult their diaries, then sit on them.
