A New Era on Netflix Begins Today: Short Videos Are Now Being Released

Netflix's usual catalog of films and series has begun to change as of today. As part of agreements with leading media companies around the world, the platform has launched news, entertainment, lifestyle, and pop culture-focused short videos in selected countries.

In the initial phase, subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand will have access to the new content. Turkey is not among the initial countries.

Videos from Major Publishers Move to Netflix

In this new era, videos produced by BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Hearst, People Inc., and Tastemade will be included in the Netflix catalog.

Content from brands such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and IndieWire, which are part of Penske Media, is also included in the agreement. This way, various types of publications ranging from cinema news to music, gossip to food and drink will converge on the same platform.

The duration of the videos is not fixed. While some content may be completed in a few minutes, interviews, analyses, or program-format productions could exceed 20 minutes.

Netflix Doesn't Want to Be Limited to Long Productions

This move is a new step in Netflix's quest to move away from being just an app that users open to watch a film or series.

Short videos could keep users who do not want to dedicate time to a full-length production on the platform. Offering a few minutes of content throughout the day could help increase Netflix's usage frequency and allow it to capture some of the time spent on YouTube and social media apps.

This is not a direct goal stated by the company; rather, it indicates a strategic direction suggested by the new content model. Netflix now wants to answer not only the question, “What should we watch tonight?” but also provide quick-to-consume videos throughout the day.

It Resembles YouTube but Is Not Yet YouTube

While the new system brings Netflix closer to YouTube, there is a significant difference between the two platforms.

Netflix has not transformed into an open content network where users can freely upload videos. The videos that are broadcast come from professional media organizations with which the company has agreements and are selected by the platform.

Therefore, Netflix is currently leaning towards a catalog of short videos that are editorially controlled rather than a user-generated content model. Nevertheless, adding regular media videos alongside films and series clearly expands the content boundaries that the company has maintained for years.

A New Distribution Channel for News and Entertainment Publishers

On the other side of the agreement are media companies. Brands like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, or Rolling Stone have largely published their videos through their own sites, YouTube, and social media accounts until now.

Access to Netflix offers these publications a new distribution channel where they can reach a broad audience that uses paid subscriptions. For the platform, it creates an opportunity to keep the catalog continuously updated without bearing the full cost of content production.

The viewing models or revenue sharing of this collaboration have not been disclosed. It is also not yet known how many videos each publisher will present and how long the content will remain on Netflix.

It's Unclear When It Will Come to Turkey

The new short video catalog is currently available only in six English-speaking markets. Netflix has not announced when the application will be expanded to Turkey or other countries.

If the performance in the initial phase is positive, it may be possible to grow the model with new publishers, different languages, and local media companies. For now, subscribers in Turkey will continue to use Netflix with the existing films, series, live broadcasts, and game content.

The changes that began on August 3 do not transform the company's entire model overnight. However, it clearly shows that Netflix does not want to be a platform that only hosts Hollywood productions in the future: news, interviews, lifestyle, and entertainment videos are coming alongside films and series; YouTube is becoming a more prominent competitor alongside streaming services.