Netflix may be exploring livestreaming, which will focus on stand-up specials and other live content, according to a report from Deadline. It’s an area that presents big opportunities for the streaming service. There is the possibility of airing live reunions as well as enable live voting for competition shows, such as its upcoming dance competition series Dance 100 from The Circle producer Studio Lambert.
It can also allow the streaming service to bring back its Netflix Is A Joke festival, a live comedy event that featured around 300 stand-up performances across LA including Dave Chappelle, Larry David and Pete Davidson. The company is set to start airing some of the shows it taped at the event later this month but if a live option is added, users at home will have the ability to watch shows as they unfold (provided the company brings the festival back next year).
Livestream can become a popular option as Disney+ is already using the same. In February, Disney+ aired a live showing of the Academy Awards and it has become the destination of the celebrity dance competition series, Dancing With the Stars, which will debut as a live series on the platform later this year.
If Netflix chooses to go with livestreaming, it may help viewers watch content beyond the usual fare. The streaming service lost a lot of subscribers for the first time in over a decade while Disney+ managed to add 7.9 million new users in the first quarter of 2022.