Netflix is entering live TV, which should worry the BBC
Nothing compares to live television. The vitality and unpredictable nature. The ease with which you can tweet about the short moment on television and have it understood by everyone. the impression that a live broadcast may falter at any time. Bounce, a Labrador allowed into the BBC News Channel with the label "SPOKESDOG," could only be seen on live television.
Streaming services have avoided live television up until now, with the exception of certain sports broadcasts, but that might soon change. Last week, Netflix made the announcement that it will stream a live Chris Rock comedy special. In addition, there is expectation that he will finally discuss getting slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars in his act, which will undoubtedly generate a lot of media attention.
The special won't be at an appropriate time in the UK since it is airing during primetime in the US, but Netflix's ambition is likely to worry the BBC and other television networks. The BBC and other conventional networks have one edge over streaming services: the capacity to generate shared national moments quite easily. Netflix has transformed viewing patterns forever, promoting the emergence of box-set binges or the sentimental rewatching of older programmes.
Indeed, The Crown and Squid Game made headlines throughout the globe, and millions of people could watch a new Netflix program each given night. Traditional TV, however, has the ability to unite viewers from all over the nation to watch the same program at the same time. Knowing that millions of others are immersed at the same time as you on television is one of its finest features. The BBC recently decided to air the final season of Happy Valley in installments rather than releasing all the episodes at once, demonstrating their awareness of this power.
The streaming behemoths are now suffering from their own success. We are now inundated with options, making it tiresome to sift through applications to pick a program. Streaming might seem like a soulless, alone hobby when you have no idea whether anybody else is engaged in the same activity. Yet, the effect might be significant if Netflix or other streamers perfect live watching. These streamers may generate global moments, while the BBC could produce national ones.
The problem will be figuring out how to execute it. Do they prioritize live performances and events? Are new dramas released at live scheduled times? How do they continue to be accessible to viewers in several time zones? How will they alter the society they helped to create, in which you could watch any program whenever you wanted? Millions of streaming subscriptions have already been canceled due to the cost of living problem, so any poor choices might have far-reaching effects.
Yet the BBC would face dire implications if Netflix succeeds in live streaming. Their advantage in mass viewership and control over the public psyche would be in jeopardy. Even Bounce the dog would be helpless in the situation.
