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Netflix is reportedly discussing adding channels to its streaming service
Snake eating its own tail. “Die a hero or live long to become the villain.” Whatever metaphor in that vein you want to use, it applies to Netflix — which ushered in the streaming era and the ‘death’ of linear television — reaching the stage of its arc where its mulling becoming the very thing it was credited with ending.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Netflix — in response to a decline in “subscriber engagement” and shares dropping more than 40% over the last 12 months — has discussed adding live channels and streaming bundles to their home page.
The channels would include ones that constantly stream movies and TV shows from the same genre: romance, crime, sci-fi, comedy, etc.
Netflix is reportedly considering adding channels to its home page amid declining “subscriber engagement”
“To bolster engagement, executives at the company have recently discussed adding live channels that would continuously stream certain programs, or shows and films from a certain genre, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
“Netflix’s discussions about adding TV channels and potentially streaming bundles, which would appear like tiles on the streamer’s home page, show how the company is willing to pivot from its roots.”
Earlier this month, it was also reported that Netflix is also weighing making bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, with live television also becoming a growing sector of the company, most notably through its partnership with the NFL in recent years.
Disney+ currently has channels on its homepage, which it calls streams, and features dedicated streams of ABC News, The Simpsons, and Disney+ Playtime — a dedicated Stream of kid-friendly programming. Past streams on Disney+ include Hits & Heroes (action franchise movies), Throwbacks (movies/shows from the late 90s and early 2000s), Real Life (documentaries, biopics, etc.), Season’s Streamings (seasonal/holiday content), Marvel Animated Rewind, and A Galaxy Far, Far Away (Star Wars).
HBO Max has a similar concept, with their channels including Adult Animation, The Big Bang Theory, DC, Friends, Harry Potter, Holiday Favorites, Middle-earth, Rick and Morty, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Crime, and World of Westeros.