Netflix is considering live channels and selling subscriptions to competing streaming services in its own app, the Wall Street Journal reports. The background is usage figures that point in the wrong direction: subscribers spend less time with the service.
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The live channels under discussion would play certain programs or content in a genre continuously, similar to linear TV channels. Netflix has also considered selling subscriptions to other streaming services such as NBCUniversal’s Peacock directly through its own app. Amazon and Apple have been running such subscription marketplaces for years. Both options would appear as tiles on the Netflix homepage. According to the Wall Street Journal, so far these discussions have been internal; the paper cites people familiar with the discussions.
Market share at an all-time low
The so-called engagement measures how much time users spend with the content and how often they finish watching films or series. According to the report, at the annual business meeting in the spring, executives noticed that this metric was declining. Since then, the topic has been the subject of regular internal meetings. In April, Netflix’s share of TV usage in the USA was 7.8 percent, according to market researcher Nielsen, the lowest value since May 2025. Netflix shares have lost more than 40 percent within twelve months, and in April the company disappointed with its forecast for the second quarter.
The discussions showed how far Netflix is straying from its roots: Co-founder Reed Hastings preached focus and simplicity for years, according to the Wall Street Journal. The streaming market leader is now competing with Disney, HBO Max and, above all, YouTube, and ad-financed free services such as Tubi and the Roku Channel are also increasing in viewership. Most recently, Netflix gave up in the bidding war for Warner Bros. and Paramount was awarded the contract instead.
Podcasts, short videos and sports
In order to boost usage, Netflix is already relying on cheaply produced content: In the fight for TV market share, the service is bringing video podcasts and videos onto the platform that previously ran on YouTube. At the beginning of July, Netflix also announced short videos from publishers such as BuzzFeed and Condé Nast. In France, subscribers can already watch the linear programming of the channel TF1 on Netflix. According to the report, the company is planning similar deals in other European countries and Latin America as a next step.
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Live programming could be particularly useful for the advertising business, because advertising in live broadcasts cannot be skipped. Last year, Netflix generated around $1.5 billion in advertising sales, and according to its own forecast, advertising sales are expected to double in 2026. When it comes to sports rights, Netflix still doesn’t want to auction complete seasons, but rather individual events – internally, according to the report, bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups are being discussed. Quarterly figures and the next engagement report are due in mid-July.
(dahe)
