Going Live: Netflix is reportedly planning live streaming for unscripted shows

By Oliver Haslam
published

Netflix on the Mac
Netflix on the Mac (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Netflix is reportedly working on live streaming capabilities for upcoming content.
  • The live component would allow viewers to vote on the outcome of unscripted shows.
  • Disney+ and Apple TV+ have already made moves into the live TV world.

Netflix is reportedly making plans to offer some of its upcoming unscripted content live for the first time, opening the door to online competitions and live voting.

Deadline reports that the plan could see the upcoming dance competition series Dance 100 and other similar unscripted shows be streamed live on the Netflix platform. That would allow for new interactive options including giving viewers the chance to vote — something that has previously been limited to traditional television platforms like cable and satellite channels.

The report also suggests that the live-streamed content could include 'Netflix is a Joke,' a festival of comedy that could be streamed rather than recorded moving forward.

Similarly, it could use it if it decides to bring back its Netflix Is A Joke festival. The live comedy event featured around 300 stand-up performances across LA including Dave Chappelle, Larry David and Pete Davidson. Many of the shows were being filmed with plans to air around 12 of them on the service. In future, it could potentially air shows live, albeit with a few seconds delay in case things get saucy.

Netflix reportedly confirmed that live streaming is "in the early stages of development," but there is no doubt that the move could make for some interesting possibilities. Disney+ is already making moves in a similar direction with ABC's American Idol and Dancing with the Stars in the process of switching to the streamer.

Apple TV+ has already made its live debut, of course. Streaming live sport via Friday Night Baseball is potentially just the beginning for Apple TV+, with the service also thought to be keen on an NFL package as well.

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Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.