Netflix Expands Beyond Movies and TV With New Publisher Video Partnerships

Netflix is preparing to add a new category of programming to its streaming service through licensing agreements with several major publishing and media companies.

Beginning August 3, subscribers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand will gain access to curated videos from well-known digital and print brands. The new programming will cover news, entertainment, travel, food, fashion, celebrity interviews, home improvement, gardening, and other lifestyle topics.

Videos will vary in length, ranging from quick two- or three-minute segments to programs lasting 20 minutes or longer.

Netflix says the goal is to give viewers more ways to explore the celebrities, stories, interests, and cultural topics they already enjoy.

“Members don’t just want to watch a show or film and move on — they want to keep exploring the stories and personalities they love long after the final credits roll,” said John Derderian, Netflix’s vice president of animation series and kids and family television.

Major Media Brands Joining Netflix

The agreement includes several brands owned by Penske Media, including Variety, Billboard, Eater, IndieWire, Rolling Stone, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Variety’s How Well Do They Know? will be among the programs added to Netflix. The series challenges performers to recognize dialogue or lyrics from their previous work.

Other featured programs include:

• BuzzFeed Celeb’s 30 Questions

• Vanity Fair’s Lie Detector

• Architectural Digest’s Walking Tour

• Elle’s Where Is the Lie?

• Harper’s Bazaar’s Burning Questions

• Billboard’s 24 Hrs With

• People’s My Life in Pictures

• Travel + Leisure’s Travel Unfiltered

• Tastemade’s Struggle Meals

The partnership also covers content from a broad collection of media brands.

BuzzFeed Studios will contribute programming from outlets such as BuzzFeed Celeb, Tasty, Cocoa Butter, Pero Like, and A*Pop.

Condé Nast brands involved in the agreement include Vogue, Vanity Fair, Wired, Bon Appétit, Architectural Digest, Allure, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Epicurious, Condé Nast Traveler, Self, House & Garden, and World of Interiors.

Hearst Magazines will provide content connected to Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Women’s Health, Town & Country, Delish, and Good Housekeeping.

People Inc. brands represented in the deal include Entertainment Weekly, People, InStyle, Food & Wine, and Travel + Leisure. Tastemade will also contribute programming.

Netflix Continues to Broaden Its Platform

The publisher partnerships are part of Netflix’s larger effort to expand beyond traditional movies and television series.

The streaming company has increasingly experimented with live events, podcasts, short-form programming, and interactive entertainment. Netflix has also continued investing in video games, including exclusive releases such as the horror experience Unhinged.

The latest move suggests Netflix wants to become a broader entertainment destination where subscribers can watch everything from major scripted productions to celebrity interviews, cooking demonstrations, travel features, and short lifestyle videos.

For viewers, the expansion could make Netflix feel less like a traditional streaming library and more like a combination of television, YouTube, lifestyle media, and digital publishing.