Time is a flat circle and every day, streaming platforms get closer and closer to replicating network television. Password sharing is out, commercials are in, and there’s a centralized hub where you can combine all of your subscriptions onto one platform.
Now, Netflix is going another step further and looking to do it live, as first reported by Deadline.
A Netflix spokesperson confirmed to Gizmodo that the company is in the early phases of exploring a new, live streaming capability. Live streaming could be used for unscripted shows like competition series and reality TV reunion episodes, or for adding in audience participation features like in-show voting (think American Idol-style).
It could also be employed for streaming IRL events like Netflix’s recent “Netflix is a Joke” festival, which you most likely heard about because Dave Chappelle was attacked while performing there.
With the recent comedy festival, performances were taped with plans to put them on Netflix as standard, recorded comedy specials. However, with live streaming in the future, Netflix may air similar events in near-real-time.
Netflix isn’t the only streaming platform to consider live streaming. Disney Plus did its first live stream in February. But, so far, there is limited information available about Netflix’s forthcoming version.
No release date for the first Netflix live stream has been announced, and the timeline for the feature remains unclear. A Netflix spokesperson declined to respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment on the record.
The streaming service has hit some hard times recently, with its first subscriber loss in a decade, a corresponding stock drop, and layoffs. And though the company likely brought its troubles upon itself with poor financial management and a flawed business model, it’s not yet clear if they can innovate themselves out of trouble with new bells and whistles like live streaming.