Netflix is once again experimenting with new types of content on its streaming service as the binge model has been outgrown. After expanding its service to include live content, video games, and, most recently, video podcasts, the streamer now adds video content from publishers such as BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc., Tastemade, and various Penske Media PMX brands, including Variety, THR, Billboard, StoneWire, and Rodilling.
Starting August 3, Netflix will offer video content from these publishers to subscribers in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, according to Netflix and other reports published on Tuesday by Netflix deal partners such as Variety, Bulletin board, THR, Rolling Stoneand more.
The new videos will vary widely in length — some will be just two to three minutes long, while others will be more than 20, the partners said.
For Netflix, the deal is a low-risk way to test whether its audience has an appetite for the kind of content typically native to the web, such as news, lifestyle, how-to and other short-form formats that tend to be cheaper and faster to produce than a scripted series. If it works, Netflix could eventually create similar content in-house, though the company hasn’t said that’s the plan.
The lineup will include both licensed archival and ongoing series coming to Netflix, including BuzzFeed Celeb’s “30 Questions” and “Tasty.” The Lie Detector Test and How Well Do They Know Each Other? of Vanity Fair? AD’s “Walking Tour”; The ‘Where Is the Lie?’ by Elle? Harper’s Bazaar’s “Burning Questions”? Billboard’s “24 Hours.” People’s “My Life in Pictures”? Travel + Leisure’s “Travel Unfiltered”? Tastemade’s “Struggle Meals”? and more.
Netflix says other publishers will be added over time.
The announcement follows a Bloomberg report this week that found that Netflix is struggling to retain fans between the first and second seasons of its flagship shows. That trend has reportedly worried executives, though it’s largely explained by familiar culprits: high cancellation rates, long gaps between seasons and inconsistent quality. The report suggests that Netflix is also facing a shift in consumer viewing habits, which sees the streamer now competing with YouTube and TikTok – arguably as much as it is now competing with traditional TV networks.
For viewers drawn to short-form videos, Netflix has already added a TikTok-like feature called “Clips” that lets users scroll through short clips from its library. But where Clips is designed to funnel viewers into longer-form shows and movies, these new publisher offerings go in the other direction, bringing short-form content to the platform in its own right.
“Members don’t just want to watch a show or movie and move on — they want to continue exploring the stories and characters they love long after the end credits have released. These partnerships help us deepen our fandom and create more ways for members to carry those stories with them throughout the day.” declare yourself John Derderian, Netflix VP of Animated Series + Kids & Family TV, who is overseeing this project.
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