Netflix Is Still Keen On Live Reality Shows & So Are Its Rivals

Netflix has been on the cutting edge of live unscripted series in the last year or two with series such as Pop the Balloon and Star Search sitting alongside events such as its BTS live special and Skyscraper Live.

Jeff Gaspin, VP Unscripted at the streamer, speaking at Deadline’s Reality TV Summit, said, “Sports is always going to need to be live, but the question is what else beyond sports can really be eventized? Streaming, in general, was built for on demand, not for forced viewing, so you’ve got to give the subscriber, the viewer, a reason to come to live.”

Netflix’s most recent example was BTS: The Comeback, which launched with 18.4 million viewers. “That was hugely successful and we’re just trying to find those quintessential moments that everyone talks about, and fans have been waiting for, as opposed to just a straight concert,” he said. “We need eventized concerts.”

One of Netflix’s other attempts in this space was Star Search. The series was hosted by Anthony Anderson and featured a judging panel of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chrissy Teigen and Jelly Roll. The show, which ran over five weeks, launched on Tuesday, January 20. However, it failed to break into Netflix’s global top 10 and likely won’t return for a second season.

One of the positives to come out it, however, was the technology.

“We just tried Star Search,” Gaspin said. “Unfortunately, we probably won’t have a second season of Star Search, but we did deploy new technology with our voting so you could vote with your remote. It was wildly successful. Over 80% of people who watched the show used the voting capability. They didn’t have to download an app. There wasn’t a second screen. We’re only 10 years old in our reality journey, and so we’re going to keep trying things. Some will work, some won’t, but it’s still an exciting time and place for us.”

One of Gaspin’s challenges might be fending off competition from rival streamers and networks.

At the Reality TV Summit, many of his peers also showed an interest in live reality shows.

Amazon’s Head of Nonfiction Series Jenn Levy said it’s all about stakes. “When you think about sports or you think about watching someone’s life change on a talent show, or a guy scale a building, and you’re wondering if he’s going to fall off, it’s lean in stakes,” she said.

Disney alternative boss Rob Mills pointed to the live shows that he already does like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. “On those formats, it’s making sure it’s not live for live’s sake, having stakes there. On streaming, it’s figuring out, you can do things you can’t do on a broadcaster, so what is the thing that hasn’t been done, whether it’s a show that’s live and ends when it ends, things that you couldn’t normally do on a broadcaster that makes it feel special on streaming. I think the big the big tentpole events, still feel like it’s better to have a linear broadcast audience,” he added.

“The real win is to figure out what’s worth eventizing,” Fox’s Allison Wallach said. “That’s what we talk about all of the time.”