Netflix has made the move to burst into a whole new market for 2026: podcasting. Now that everyone and their mother has a show on Spotify or YouTube, long-form streaming services want a piece of the hype. The streaming platform may just succeed with this move, taking on shows produced by companies such as Spotify, iHeartRadio, Barstool Sports, and The Ringer. From sports to true crime to comedy, Netflix is looking for a fresh audience excited about long-form conversations aligned with their niche interests.
What’s the Point?
Any business expert across industries will tell you that podcasts are the future. As humans get more used to constant stimulation, it feels good to have another human voice in the background. However, even video podcasts are normally just that–background noise. Frank Racioppi from Forbes suggests that the platform will not be preferred for listening. YouTube is intuitive, and the video format feels easy to play in the background. Logging into a paid Netflix account, though, may be doing too much.
Netflix could have a point, however. The conversational nature of a podcast allows audiences to explore their most specific passions with hosts just like them. If they can integrate the shows into their platform, allowing viewers to click on Last Podcast on the Left after their favorite horror movie or Bridgerton: The Official Podcast, after the newest steamy episode, this new endeavor may bring great success.
What’s on Next?
Drops earlier this month brought some big sports titles, such as The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Zac Lowe Show. However, that’s far from all this month has in store for the platform. Let’s get into all that came out this Monday, and what we’re still waiting on.
‘Joe and Jada’
Hosted by Fat Joe and Jadakiss, Joe and Jada, tackles a little of everything. Guests include everyone from sports stars to comedians to hip-hop legends. The topics are even more sprawling, covering spirituality or mental health, all coming back to the latest in pop culture. Joe told Entertainment Weekly that he looks forward to the move. He believes that Netflix will introduce their show to a more diverse audience that will love to see where they go next.
‘My Favorite Murder’
Podcasts are one of the major outlets for all the true crime fans out there, and the decade-running show My Favorite Murder, hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, is one of the first and most influential. Covering a variety of different crimes and all aspects across history, documentary fans will hopefully be able to fill a void Netflix previously wasn’t able to.
‘The Psychology of your 20s’
Living through the unprecedented experiences of your 20s is absolutely terrifying. That’s why The Psychology of your 20s is the number one psychology podcast worldwide. Hosted by author Jemma Sbeg, the show aims to help you through the hard times with the best research possible. In fact, the production is a solo job by Sbeg out of her Sydney studio. Hopefully, the dedicated work will reach brand new audiences that need it in this merger.
‘The Pete Davidson Show’
One of the most anticipated releases of the month will be the new weekly talk show hosted by SNL alum Pete Davidson, aptly named The Pete Davidson Show. The show’s tagline describes why it will be recorded in Davidson’s garage, as it’s “where all the best conversations happen.” Netflix is home to him, seeing as his first comedy special was produced by the company, and fans will look forward to seeing Davidson on the platform again.
‘Therapuss’ With Jake Shane
In February Netflix will welcome a TikTok golden child: Jake Shane with his podcast Therapuss, affectionately named for his love of octopi and his username @passthatpuss. Shane’s irreverent sense of humor, which we’ve seen online, fits perfectly with his star-studded slate of guests, as they unpack the problems of listeners across the internet. The chronically online girlies cannot wait to see how this move will help along Shane’s speedy rise to mainstream acclaim.
If nothing else, these new Netflix additions will be a collection of talk shows hosted by exciting personalities—so the outlook looks pretty good for the granddaddy of long-form streaming hosts. The world will see where these legacy podcasts go as they’re introduced to a much wider audience when fans fire up Netflix to carry through the rest of winter.
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