Key Takeaways
- Netflix is experimenting with live streaming, aiming to perfect this new venture for future success.
- The streaming giant has broadcast live events with mixed results, facing challenges in picture quality and stream interruptions.
- Netflix must enhance advertising efforts and overall quality for its live streams to become a top contender in the live TV space.
After more than 15 years of growing its streaming library and selection of original productions, Netflix has begun experimenting with live streaming, making the switch to become a proper broadcaster.
Netflix’s live-streaming events have seen mixed results, but its future may rely on perfecting its success—as it did when building its DVD delivery service into the behemoth streaming service we know today.
What Is Netflix Live Streaming?
First launched in 2007, a decade after originating as a DVD-by-mail subscription service, Netflix is trusted by millions for its massive collection of original and acquired movies and TV shows. However, in an extremely competitive streaming platform world, Netflix must continually strive toward new innovations to retain its subscriber base. Its latest idea has the potential to be its most successful yet—if Netflix can pull it off.
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage
The first test of Netflix’s live streaming (that’s actually just a reinvention of something that already exists on cable) was Chris Rock’s 2023 stand-up special Selective Outrage. As Netflix is not typically one for live events (just look at how shy it is about putting its original movies in proper theaters), it had to think like a live event planner to pull off a successful broadcast of Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.
This meant turning Baltimore, Maryland’s Hippodrome Theatre into a broadcast studio for one night only. The theater took out hundreds of seats to make room for all the technical equipment, which included over a dozen cameras, plenty of lighting, and tons of A/V gear. Surprisingly, it went off more or less without a hitch.
From there, Netflix has continued to implement its live-streaming technology wherever it could. While live broadcasts are commonplace for traditional network television, they’re basically unheard of in the streaming space. This is bound to come with some hiccups, and boy, have there been hiccups.
Every Netflix Live Streaming Event So Far
After the March 2023 broadcast of Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, Netflix followed up with a planned live reunion of Love Is Blind Season Four in April 2023. However, it failed to get the technology working properly, resulting in hours of delay before ultimately broadcasting a taped special instead.
Following that debacle, Netflix broadcasted its TUDUM 2023 fan event in June and launched Baby Animal Cam and Baby Gorilla Cam later that fall. It then ventured into live sports for the first time with the golf tournament The Netflix Cup in November 2023 and secured the rights to weekly live broadcasts of WWE Raw (slated to begin in January 2025).
In 2024, Netflix broadcasted the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in February and the tennis exhibition The Netflix Slam in April, with more Iive streaming sporting events scheduled.
Is Netflix Live Streaming Any Good? 3 Things It Should Change
Netflix’s live streaming is good, but it has some serious wrinkles that need to be ironed out. Otherwise, this new service might not ever get a chance to reach its full potential. With just a few tweaks, it could become one of the best live sports streaming sites on the internet.
Picture Quality
First and foremost: picture quality. While Netflix’s uploads look fine after the fact, those who have tuned into a live Netflix event can attest to the unimpressive picture quality of the stream. This won’t do for more high-profile events, especially when broadcast television doesn’t have nearly as many issues.
Stream Interruptions
Second, Netflix needs to change its streaming methods to prevent excessive interruptions. The disaster that was the failed Love Is Blind Season Four reunion broadcast made for a real public relations nightmare. If Netflix thought Love Is Blind fans were tough on social media, try upsetting fight fans tuning in to see Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.
Advertising
Last, Netflix should seriously consider pouring more cash into proper advertising campaigns for its live events. Existing subscribers get notifications upon notifications leading up to the latest broadcasts, but what about those who don’t have a Netflix account? Focus on pulling these people in (or back in, if they once subscribed) before the next big event to enjoy even greater success.
Netflix Live Streaming Needs Work
As it stands, Netflix live streaming is a perfectly serviceable feature on a streamer with more gimmicks than you can count on two hands. However, it will need some serious work in a few different departments to be a serious contender against traditional live television. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson will be the true test of whether Netflix will stand as one of the best live-streaming platforms or just an expensive fad.
Given the sheer number of live-streaming events to date, there’s no question that Netflix feels confident in its broadcasts so far—as they should, for the record. Though there have been some bumps in the road, Netflix shows serious promise in the continued rollout of these live streams.