In the not too distant future we may see live event broadcasts via Netflix. As published by Deadline, the streaming platform would be exploring this possibility as its next big bet so as not to lose importance among the public, in the face of growing competition.
The aforementioned medium ensures that this variable is in the early stages of development, but does not delve too deeply into it. What it does mention is that the company's intention would be to implement live broadcastson comedy specials and unscripted shows, at least initially. Nor is it ruled out that it is a resource to be exploited in the case of special meetings, as mentioned.
However, Netflix would not have set deadlines for this development and the work would be carried out by a small group within the company. In any case, it is still a very interesting piece of information that speaks clearly of how the different streaming platforms are trying to squeeze as many ideas as they can to seduce subscribers.
Disney+ has already experimented with the use of live broadcasts in the United States. Last February, the platform carried out a test with a program related to the Oscar nominations; and going forward it plans to launch the renowned show Dancing with the Stars as part of its strategy to embrace live programming. Let us remember that the platform has just announced an increase of almost 8 million subscribers, to reach almost 140 million worldwide.
Apple TV+, meanwhile, has just gotten into the game of live sports broadcasts with MLB baseball. While Star+ has started a special move in Latin America at the hands of Sergio “Kun” Agüero; the former Argentine soccer player, who recently signed an exclusive contract with Disney, has been the host of ESPN's Watch Party during the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.
Netflix could use the live broadcasts to escape the debacle
Much has been said about Netflix in recent times, although not for the most graceful reasons. The company lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, its first drop in users in a decade, and that caused its share price to plummet. Thus, 54,000 million dollars of its valuation vanished overnight.
And the outlook for the current months is no better. When the firm reported the loss of subscribers, it indicated that it expected something worse for the second quarter: the loss of 2 million additional accounts.
Since then, Netflix has set its sights on making decisions that help him get back on his feet. The first has been to change their strategy to be more financially disciplined, focusing on producing less original content but of higher quality. The second is to speed up the introduction of a cheap ad-supported plan, due to arrive in the final quarter of this year. The third, to advance the taking of measures to prevent users from continuing to share their passwords; this is something that the company wants to place special emphasis on, since it considers that it is costing it the possibility of adding up to 100 million more customers.
The intention to explore the transmission of live events could be one more resource for Netflix to attract the interest of new subscribers. In any case, it seems like a bet that is still too early to determine how much it can impact the projections of the company led by Reed Hastings.
