Netflix to stream short videos from BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Rolling Stone and more from August 3
Starting August 3, Netflix subscribers in six countries will be able to watch short-form video content from BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Rolling Stone, Variety and other digital publishers directly on the platform.
Netflix announced on Tuesday a set of licensing deals that will bring short-form video from major digital publishers to its streaming service. The move marks the company's latest expansion beyond traditional series and films, following earlier pushes into games, podcasts and live events.
The deal
Starting August 3, subscribers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand will find publisher videos on the Netflix homepage. The content spans a mix of licensed archival episodes and new ongoing series, with episode lengths ranging from roughly two to three minutes up to more than 20 minutes.
- Netflix announces licensing deals with digital publishers
- Publisher videos become available to subscribers in six countries
- Additional publisher partnerships to be announced
What subscribers will see
The lineup includes well-known web series such as Architectural Digest's "Open Door," Vanity Fair's "Lie Detector Test," BuzzFeed Celeb's "30 Questions," Variety's "How Well Do They Know?," Rolling Stone's "The Breakdown" and "My Life in 10 Songs," and Billboard's "24 Hrs With." Topics cover food, travel, fashion, entertainment, design, wellness and celebrity profiles, among others.
Why Netflix is doing it
The announcement follows a Bloomberg report that found Netflix is struggling to retain viewers between seasons of top shows, with some losing up to 70 percent of their season-one audience. The company is also facing a shift in viewing habits as it competes with YouTube and TikTok for short-form video attention. Netflix already introduced a TikTok-style "Clips" feature, and the publisher deals offer a low-risk way to test appetite for web-native formats that are cheaper and faster to produce than scripted series.
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.
What's next
Netflix described the group of partners as a "first wave" and said additional digital publishers will be announced at a later date. The initial roster includes BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc., Tastemade, and Penske Media's PMX brands (Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Eater and Indiewire).
