Netflix is experimenting again with new types of content on its streaming service, such as The compulsive model has become outdated.. 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 several Penske Media PMX brands, including Variety, THR, Billboard, Eater, Rolling Stone and IndieWire.
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 released Tuesday by Netflix deal partners such as Variety, Billboard, THR, rolling stoneand others.
The new videos will vary widely in length: Some are just two or three minutes long, while others are more than 20, the partners said.
For Netflix, the deal is a low-stakes way to test whether its audience has an appetite for the kind of content that’s typically native to the web, such as news, lifestyle, how-tos and other short formats that tend to be cheaper and faster to produce than a scripted series. If it works, Netflix could eventually create similar content internally, although the company hasn’t said that’s the plan.
The lineup will include archival and ongoing licensed series coming to Netflix, including “30 Questions” and “Tasty” from BuzzFeed Celeb; Vanity Fair’s “Lie Detector Test” and “How Well Do You Know Yourself?”; AD “Walking Tour”; “Where is the lie?” by Elle; Harper’s Bazaar’s “Burning Questions”; Billboard’s “24 Hours”; “My life in pictures” by People; “Unfiltered Travel” from Travel + Leisure; “Fighting Meals” by Tastemade; and more.
Netflix says other editors will be added over time.
The announcement follows a Bloomberg report this week that found Netflix is struggling to retain fans between the first and second seasons of top shows. That trend has reportedly worried executives, although it is 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, leaving the streamer now competing with YouTube and TikTok, possibly as much as it now competes with traditional television networks.
To court viewers attracted to short-form videos, Netflix has already added a TikTok-style feature called “Clips” that allows users to scroll through short clips from its library. But while Clips is designed to funnel viewers toward longer shows and movies, these new deals with publishers 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 keep exploring the stories and personalities they love long after the closing credits roll. These partnerships help us deepen the fandom and create more ways for members to carry those stories with them throughout the day.” fixed John Derderian, vice president of animated series + children’s and family TV at Netflix, who is overseeing this project.
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