Netflix dabbles in short video with Variety, others

Netflix is testing short-form video content from publishers like BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc., Tastemade, and Penske Media brands such as Variety, THR, Billboard, Eater, Rolling Stone, and Indiewire.

The move marks another experiment beyond the company’s usual binge model, following its expansion into live content, video games, and video podcasts.

Starting August 3, subscribers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand will see videos from these publishers on the platform, according to the streaming service and its deal partners. The clips range from 2 to 3 minutes up to over 20 minutes, the partners said.

A low-risk test for a shifting audience

For the streaming giant, the deal is a low-risk way to see if its audience wants content native to the web — news, lifestyle, how-tos, and other short-form formats that are cheaper and faster to produce than a scripted series. If it works, the company could eventually build similar content in-house, though it hasn’t said that’s the plan.

The lineup includes both licensed archival and ongoing series.

Among them: BuzzFeed Celeb’s 30 Questions, Tasty Recipes, Vanity Fair’s Lie Detector, AD’s Walking Tour, Elle’s Where is the Lie, Harper’s Bazaar’s Burning Questions, Billboard’s 24 Hrs With, Variety’s How Well Do They Know?, PEOPLE’s My Life in Pictures, Travel + Leisure’s Travel Unfiltered, Tastemade’s Struggle Meals, and more. The platform says other publishers will be added over time.

Netflix is chasing short-form viewers

The announcement follows a report that found Netflix is struggling to retain fans between the first and second seasons of top shows. That trend has reportedly worried executives, though it’s largely explained by high cancellation rates, long gaps between seasons, and inconsistent quality.

It also suggests the company now competes with YouTube and TikTok as much as it does with traditional TV networks.

That is a different strategy from the “Clips” feature the company already added. Clips is designed to funnel viewers toward longer shows and movies. These publisher deals go the other direction, bringing short-form content onto the platform as its own offering.

The publisher deal structure

“Members don’t just want to watch a show or film and move on – they want to keep exploring the stories and personalities they love long after the final credits roll. These partnerships help us deepen fandom and create more ways for members to carry those stories with them throughout their day,” stated John Derderian, a VP of Animation Series + Kids & Family TV at the company, who is overseeing this project.