Bela Bajaria is talking up Bill Simmons saying adding his podcast to Netflix has been a great fit. In fact, Netflix’s chief content officer says his live show is a personal favorite admitting to sharing texts on content during the live show with Simmons.
What We Know: Bajaria discussed Simmons’ live show with CNBC’s Alex Sherman. The Bill Simmons Podcast, meanwhile, joined Netflix live in January as part of a wider Spotify and Ringer deal. That same agreement also brought The Zach Lowe Show, The Rewatchables, and The McShay Show to the platform. Still, Bajaria says Simmons adds value even without Netflix owning the sporting event itself. In fact, she told Sherman that she frequently watches Simmons live and engages with him during live episodes via text.
What They Said: (all quotes via CNBC):
Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria on why adding Bill Simmons Live was important for Netflix: “It’s amazing to have Bill Simmons after the game cover it and talk about it. Obviously, he has a fan base, and I think that’s amazing to have. There’s sporting events. And even if we don’t have the event, there’s the conversation that can happen on a podcast.”
Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria on her interactions with Bill Simmons live programming on Netflix: “I like to watch Bill Simmons, and then I just usually text him a million things during the thing. It’s usually just some commentary, or like, don’t say that about the Packers. I find a lot of his sort of banter, he’s really great. Sometimes I’ll sort of poke on something, or just kind of go, “Okay, well, where are you going with that? But I do watch it. He does love the feedback. Sometimes I think I probably do it too much live.”
Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria on whether people listen or watch podcasts on Netflix: “They do both. They watch. People really do like video podcasts. I’m sure it’s like one of those things that you can watch, but you’re not having to [be glued to].
What Remains Unclear: Bajaria didn’t share viewership figures for Simmons’ live show or any other of the podcasts on Netflix.
What It Means: Bajaria’s comments suggest Netflix sees live podcasts as more than filler content. After all, Simmons’ fan base gives Netflix built-in engagement around major sporting events. Her personal habit of texting Simmons live also signals leadership buy-in beyond the boardroom. Ultimately, that kind of executive engagement could shape how Netflix promotes future podcast deals building them around live events.
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