Netflix is once more testing various forms of content on its streaming platform, as the binge-watching model has become outdated. Following its enhancement of live content offerings, video games, and, more recently, video podcasts, the platform is now including video material from publishers like BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc., Tastemade, and several brands under Penske Media PMX, including Variety, THR, Billboard, Eater, Rolling Stone, and IndieWire.
Beginning August 3, Netflix will provide video content from these publishers to subscribers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, as per Netflix and additional reports released on Tuesday by Netflix’s deal partners such as Variety, Billboard, THR, Rolling Stone, and others.
The newly introduced videos will vary greatly in duration—some lasting only two to three minutes, while others extend beyond 20 minutes, according to the partners.
For Netflix, this agreement serves as a low-risk method to assess whether its audience is interested in content typically found on the web, like news, lifestyle pieces, how-tos, and other short-form content that is generally more affordable and quicker to produce than scripted series. If successful, Netflix might eventually create similar content internally, although the company has not indicated that this is the intention.
The lineup will feature both licensed archival and ongoing series arriving on Netflix, including BuzzFeed Celeb’s “30 Questions” and “Tasty”; Vanity Fair’s “Lie Detector Test” and “How Well Do They Know Each Other?”; AD’s “Walking Tour”; Elle’s “Where Is the Lie?”; 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 others.
Netflix has stated that more publishers will be included over time.
This announcement comes after a Bloomberg report indicating that Netflix is having difficulty keeping fans engaged between the first and second seasons of popular shows. This trend has reportedly raised concerns among executives, though it can largely be attributed to well-known issues: high cancellation rates, lengthy gaps between seasons, and varying quality. The report indicates that Netflix is also contending with a shift in viewer habits, now competing with YouTube and TikTok—arguably as much as it competes with traditional television networks.
To attract viewers interested in short-form video, Netflix has already introduced a TikTok-inspired feature called “Clips” that allows users to scroll through brief snippets from its library. However, while Clips is aimed at directing viewers toward longer shows and films, these new publisher agreements are oriented in the opposite direction, introducing short-form content onto the platform independently.
“Members don’t just want to watch a show or film and move on—they want to continue exploring the stories and personalities they adore long after the final credits have rolled. These partnerships assist us in deepening fan engagement and creating more opportunities for members to carry those stories with them throughout their day,” expressed John Derderian, Netflix VP of Animation Series + Kids & Family TV, who is overseeing this initiative.
