Netflix Ventures into Shorter Video Content via New Collaborations with Variety and Other Publishers

Netflix is exploring new content formats on its streaming service, as the binge-watching trend appears to be waning. Following the debut of live content, video games, and most recently, video podcasts, the platform is now adding video material from publishers like BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc., Tastemade, and a variety of Penske Media PMX brands such as Variety, THR, Billboard, Eater, Rolling Stone, and Indiewire.

Starting August 3, Netflix will offer this video content to users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, as confirmed on Tuesday by Netflix and its partners, which include Variety, Billboard, THR, Rolling Stone, among others.

The new videos will come in various lengths—some will be just 2 to 3 minutes long, while others may go beyond 20 minutes, as noted by the partner organizations.

For Netflix, this arrangement offers a low-risk way to determine whether its audience is drawn to content typically found online, such as news, lifestyle features, how-tos, and other short-form formats that are usually cheaper and quicker to produce than scripted series. If deemed successful, Netflix might consider producing similar content internally, although the company has not signaled any such intention.

The lineup will feature both licensed archival content and original series arriving on Netflix, including 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.

Netflix has stated that more publishers will be added in the future.

This announcement follows a Bloomberg report indicating that Netflix is struggling to keep viewers engaged between the first and second seasons of its most popular shows. This trend has raised concerns among executives, largely due to known challenges such as high cancellation rates, lengthy gaps between seasons, and varying quality. The report also implies that Netflix is adjusting to changes in consumer viewing patterns, now competing with platforms like YouTube and TikTok just as fiercely as against traditional TV networks.

To draw in audiences who prefer short-form video, Netflix has already introduced a TikTok-like feature named “Clips,” allowing users to browse brief excerpts from its library. However, while Clips are designed to guide viewers toward longer shows and films, these new publisher agreements prioritize providing short-form content as a separate offering.

“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,” remarked John Derderian, Netflix VP of Animation Series + Kids & Family TV, who is heading this initiative.