Netflix may take one step closer to traditional TV with live reality show finales and stand-up specials
The pandemichelped Netflix to grow its subscriber baseat a rapid pace. However, with the world slowly returning to normal, things are looking less than rosy for the company as it reported itsfirst-ever decline in subscribers in over a decade in Q1 2022. It further expects to lose another 2 million users in the year’s second quarter. Netflix plans tomonetize account sharing and even introduce an ad-supported tierat a lower price by the end of this year to help prevent subscriber decline. The company is now rumored to be looking at an expansion into livestreaming, possibly offering something new to retain and attract subscribers.
ADeadlinereport says Netflix is in the early stages of building livestreaming capabilities for its platform, which it may use to air its unscripted shows and stand-up specials. The streaming service could use the feature to air live comedy shows, reunions, and possibly even for live voting in competition shows like the upcomingDance 100. The move could open the doors for Netflix to livestream the finale of any major competition-oriented show on its platform and offer a new experience to viewers.
The report further speculates that in the future, Netflix could air itsNetflix Is a Jokecomedy festival live directly on the platform, albeit with a short delay accounting for any unforeseeable events that live events bring. This year, the live comedy event was hosted in Los Angeles, spanning several days, and featured over 130 comedians. It will start streaming highlights of the festival on the platform on May 19, with specials added to the service throughout June.
Despite the success of sports shows likeDrive to Survive,the report says the service does not intend to expand into live sports streaming. Apple TV Plus has begun to expand into live sports, while Amazon Prime has been offering sports coverage in some markets for a while now. Another of Netflix’s rivals, Disney+, has already experimented with livestreaming and, as a test run,aired the Academy Awards nominationsearlier this year.
There’s no word on when Netflix could roll out its livestreaming feature. According to the report, it is currently in the early stages of development by a small group within the company. Apart from livestreaming, the streaming service is also working onbuilding a roster of games that could be hard to ignoreby the end of this year.
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