(Credits: Matoo.Studio)

Netflix tried something completely different recently, as it continues to experiment with live shows and perfecting the art of streaming entertainment as it happens. Celebrity chef David Chang hosted the landmark programme and served celebrity guests Josh Gad and Wiz Khalifa poorly concocted tteokbokki, which are Korean rice cakes and a holiday staple in South Korea.

While serving underperforming dishes was hardly part of Chang’s plan, it did serve to show the perils of live TV and the excitement that can come with it. The airing of his programme, Dinner Time Live With David Chang, was part of a growing slate of live entertainment recently shown on the streaming giant.

In the past two years, Netflix has also shown live tennis matches, hot dog eating contests, and comedy specials. Next week, it is set to show a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which is likely to be the streaming platform’s biggest live event yet. 

The concept of live TV on Netflix is still strange. Given that it started life as an alternative to live TV that allowed people to show up when they wanted and not be subject to advertising, the fact that it is now showing live TV and implementing advertising makes it feel like they are backtracking on its original model. In 2022, after Netflix started losing users, it implemented cheaper subscription plans with advertisements and cracked down on password sharing, two measures it had previously confirmed it wouldn’t do.

Live programming is the most effective way for the streamer to display advertisements to all users rather than just some of them. Now, many people pay extra to avoid ads on the streaming platform. By hosting more live programmes, Netflix can display ads to all its users and increase revenue.

Netflix has been hosting “low profile live” events recently to test its live capabilities and ensure it is ready to expand to larger audiences in the coming years. It recently aired Live From the Other Side with Tyler Henry, which had a small audience that allowed Netflix to simulate a system failure by switching off all its servers on the West Coast. The streaming platform said the transition to East Coast servers was “seamless.”

These experiments mark the beginning of a new era for Netflix, which is undoubtedly profit-driven but also opens the streaming platform up to a new level of programming. Its first big test will be the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which will take place on November 15th.