One of the core innovations of Netflix when the streaming service first launched was the notion that you could watch whatever you wanted on demand. More recently, though, the streaming service has moved towards hosting at least some things live on its streaming service. Those kinds of live events ensure that more people are eagerly anticipating and watching at the same time, and you can always catch up later if you miss it.
According to reporting in Variety, one of Netflix’s newest live gambits could be live episodes of the interview show Hot Ones. The show, which is hosted by Sean Evans, involves celebrities eating increasingly spicy wings while they answer a series of interesting question from Evans, who is eating the wings right alongside them.
The show has become a viral phenomenon on YouTube since its debut, and has attracted all manner of celebrities who have something to promote. The reporting suggests that Netflix is looking to host live episodes of Hot Ones, but no deal is currently in place, and sources say that the negotiations are still in their early stages.
Hot Ones would not be the streamer’s first live events, but thus far, those events have had mixed success. Some, like the series of live comedy shows that John Mulaney hosted called Everybody’s in L.A., were largely a success, but others have been met less warmly.
As streaming services increasingly get into live sports and other specialized events, it seems like they are coming closer and closer to just replicating older models of TV that were around decades before these companies existed.
