Earlier this month, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos raised eyebrows when he admitted that the company would be open to bringing YouTube creators onto its platform, including video podcasters.
During the company’s earnings call, the Netflix CEO said that it makes sense for the next stage in the company’s evolution.
“We want to be in business with the best creatives on the planet. Regardless of where they come from,” Sarandos said on the earnings call. “Not everything on YouTube will fit on Netflix. But there are some creators on YouTube, like Ms. Rachel, that are a great fit,” adding that there are “a wide variety of” video podcasters “that might be a good fit for us.”
The idea that Netflix could get into the creator space in an attempt to rival YouTube feels like a natural progression for the streaming platform.
In June, YouTube marked the largest lead it had featured in the Nielsen Media Distributor Gauge since its inception. More than 12% of all television viewing in the U.S. was with YouTube during that month, while Netflix climbed back into the top three by garnering 8.3% of viewing during the month.
Barrett Media spoke with two separate podcasters who utilize YouTube to gauge their interest in being on Netflix rather than YouTube. We granted the creators anonymity to not hinder them in any potential or current negotiations with the streaming platform.
Podcaster A utilizes a variety of platforms — like Substack and YouTube — to distribute their content. They are somewhat early in their YouTube journey, but routinely surpasses tens of thousands of views on their videos.
“If Netflix came to me with the right deal, I’d seriously consider it,” Podcaster A said. “YouTube is great for discoverability, sure, but Netflix brings a level of prestige that’s hard to ignore. It’s not just about views, it’s about impact.
“On Netflix, you would not just be another face in the algorithm — you’d be the headline. The platform has shown it’s willing to invest in storytelling. If they’re ready to let me keep my voice sharp, let me keep my reporting fearless and make it to where I don’t have to worry about their interference, and amplify my show to a global audience? That’s a conversation worth having.”
Podcaster B works as a producer of a major podcast that utilizes YouTube in a variety of ways, including live shows and YouTube Shorts. The program features more than one million subscribers. And that is why Podcaster B thinks that it wouldn’t be such an easy decision.
“Walking away from several million YouTube subscribers isn’t a decision you make lightly, especially when you’ve spent years building that audience brick by brick,” Podcaster B said. “On YouTube, there’s a direct relationship with your viewers. Comments, analytics, feedback. It’s hard to say no to that. You know what’s landing and what’s not. YouTube rewards consistency, authenticity, and independence, and we’ve found value in that. That kind of direct access to your community is incredibly rare in traditional media models.”
Podcaster B weighed the pros and cons of striking a deal with Netflix by questioning what exactly would come with that affiliation.
“With Netflix? Sure, you get access to a massive audience, and our brand is elevated just by the association. But there’s a trade-off. You probably give up that daily engagement, you probably lose the ability to pivot quickly, and you’re in someone else’s ecosystem,” Podcaster B shared.
“So the idea of giving that up — even for a splashy Netflix deal — creates tension. Because at the end of the day, are you building a legacy through reach? Or is it your content and the connection you’ve made? That’s the question. It’s not rhetorical, by the way. It’s the kind of thing you think about right before you hit publish.”
On the subject of trading away a free and accessible platform like YouTube for a platform like Netflix that requires a subscription wasn’t lost on Podcaster A.
“On YouTube, you’ve got reach, you’ve got virality, and more importantly, you’ve got access. Politicians, operatives, insiders — they’re watching and texting you about what you just said. It’s fast and easy, and it keeps you in the bloodstream of the conversation.
“Netflix would be less immediate. You lose some of that Beltway buzz, that real-time backchannel feedback. You’re not part of the daily churn anymore. It’s not the same. I’d have to ask: are the stories I want to break better served in the moment, or in the long arc? YouTube gives you the room to own a lane. That kind of access is hard to give up.”
Podcaster B shared similar sentiments, noting that the idea of moving away from generating revenue from views and advertisers — which their show controls — would be difficult to pass up in favor of a check from Netflix.
“With Netflix, you’re looking at a lump sum. And it might have strings attached—creative notes. It’s a paycheck, not a partnership. That changes the dynamic. You’re no longer tweaking content based on audience feedback. I think — at least for now — we value the independence of working with advertisers directly and having the control of who does — or maybe more importantly doesn’t — advertise with our show.
“Independence is something that you don’t know you value until you have it. We have it, and I think it would be unlikely we’d give it up unless (the company) was floored by an offer (from Netflix),” Podcaster B concluded.
A video podcasting division could be on the horizon for Netflix sooner rather than later. A report from Business Insider shares that the company is searching for an executive to lead the initiative and is looking to capture some of the more than $2 billion in podcast advertising forecasted to be spent on the medium in 2025 alone.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
