‘Hot Ones’ could add some heat to Netflix’s live lineup

Date:

Share post:


Netflix has never quite cracked the talk show formula, but maybe it can borrow an existing hit from YouTube.

According to Bloomberg, the streamer is in talks with BuzzFeed to create live episodes of the popular YouTube talk show “Hot Ones.” Netflix and BuzzFeed did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

The show launched back in 2015, and the format — with host Sean Evans interviewing celebrity guests as they struggle to eat increasingly spicy chicken wings — has proven surprisingly durable, with new episodes sometimes attracting tens of millions of viewers on YouTube. (Evans will reportedly host the live Netflix episodes, as well.)

As traditional late night talk shows struggle with declining ratings and shrinking budgets, “Hot Ones” become a regular stop on the promotional circuit for pop stars and Hollywood actors. BuzzFeed, which picked up “Hot Ones” through its acquisition of Complex, has reportedly tried and failed to sell the show as it faces a debt repayment deadline at the end of the year.

Netflix, meanwhile, has experimented on-and-off with the talk format, for example with two seasons of a show hosted by Chelsea Handler. Arguably its greatest achievement thus far has been the recent “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA” — which was absolutely delightful, but it was seemingly designed as a short-lived, shambolic experiment; it’s not clear if there will be a second season.

Why turn the normally pre-recorded “Hot Ones” into a live show? Well, the promise of seeing a celebrity melt down without the protection of editing could make these specials stand out from the regular program. Plus, Netflix has been experimenting with live content, from stand-up specials to reality TV reunions to WWE “Raw.”



Source link

Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden is a news writer for LinkDaddy News. She writes health, sport, tech, and more. Some of her favorite topics include the latest trends in fitness and wellness, the best ways to use technology to improve your life, and the latest developments in medical research.

Recent posts

Related articles

OpenAI’s GPT-5 reportedly falling short of expectations

OpenAI’s efforts to develop its next major model, GPT-5, are running behind schedule, with results that don’t...

OpenAI announces new o3 model — but you can’t use it yet

Welcome back to Week in Review. This week, we’re looking at OpenAI’s last — and biggest —...

Google pushes back against DOJ’s ‘interventionist’ remedies in antitrust case

Google has offered up its own proposal in a recent antitrust case that saw the US Department...

If climate tech is dead, what comes next?

Humans have an innate desire to name things, but to be honest, we’re not always that good...

Hollywood angels: Here are the celebrities who are also star VCs

Becoming a venture capitalist has become the latest status symbol in Hollywood.  Everyone these days, from Olivia Wilde...

Meet Skyseed, a VC fund and incubator backing the Bluesky and AT Protocol ecosystem

On November 15, Peter Wang posted a message requesting ideas for a new incubator and fund to...

Sam Altman disputes Marc Andreessen’s description of AI meetings with Biden administration

Famed investor Marc Andreessen recently talked about meetings with Biden administration staff who gave him the impression...

EV startup Canoo places remaining employees on a ‘mandatory unpaid break’

Struggling electric van startup Canoo has placed its remaining employees on what it’s calling a “mandatory unpaid...