Get Ready for ‘Hot Ones: Live’! Netflix Aims to Make Social Video Series Major Event
Get Ready for ‘Hot Ones: Live’! Netflix Aims to Make Social Video Series Major Event
Survey after survey has shown that younger viewers prefer social video to streaming from subscriptions, and Netflix will try to meet them where they are.
Netflix is already in an enviable position as the world’s largest streaming service, but it didn’t build its customer base of 278 million by resting on its laurels. The streaming giant has continued to be at the forefront of content advances, evolving with its audience to ensure that it remains indispensable. A new report from Variety indicates that evolution is continuing, as Netflix is in discussions with BuzzFeed about producing a new version of the popular YouTube show “Hot Ones.”
Key Details:
- Netflix wants to create a live version of “Hot Ones,” and has several episodes in mind.”
- The series features celebrities answering questions while eating increasingly hot chicken wings.
- A survey from January found that younger viewers spend much more time watching social and non-premium videos as compared to older audiences.
Variety’s report indicates that Netflix wants to produce several live episodes of “Hot Ones,” the YouTube talk show hosted by Sean Evans which features celebrities being asked a series of questions, all while eating chicken wings that increase in spice level as the episode progresses.
There is no deal in place yet, and talks between Netflix and BuzzFeed are still in the early stages. If Netflix does secure the rights to air a new version of “Hot Ones,” it will join the burgeoning ranks of live offerings on the streamer like comedy specials, live NFL games, and even hot dog-eating contests.
“Hot Ones” videos rack up millions of views on YouTube, and popular episodes have included appearances from A-listers like Conan O’Brien, Shaquille O’Neal, Gordon Ramsay, and Jennifer Lawrence. It’s a simple premise, but viewers keep coming back for the sometimes-shocking answers they get from celebrities, as well as the schadenfreude entertainment value of watching major stars struggle to eat something spicy.
Is Netflix Reaching Out to Younger Viewers?
The move to add a version of “Hot Ones” feels like a fairly transparent attempt by Netflix to reach out to Gen Zers and younger viewers who are considering whether or not to purchase streaming subscriptions of their own for the first time.
There’s a large and growing amount of data that shows that young viewers watch significantly more video from platforms like YouTube and TikTok than they do from sources like on-demand streaming or linear TV. One study published by Hub Research in January found that young viewers spend half as much time watching TV as older viewers, and that 19% of screen time for Gen Zers is devoted to non-premium video options like YouTube.
With trends like this, it was always a question of how on-demand streamers would begin incorporating similar experiences onto their platforms, not if. As usual, Netflix is leading the way, but expect other streaming services to try to integrate more closely with social video providers in the future in order to get younger viewers engaged.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”