Netflix transforms the podcast into the new talk show: The battle for the daytime audience

The entertainment market is going through a critical moment. Netflix, along with platforms like Spotify, is reimagining podcasts as the natural successor to traditional talk shows. It’s not just a business gamble: it reflects how viewers have abandoned scheduled TV to seek more flexible, personalized content. But is Netflix chasing an illusion or identifying a real opportunity?

The offensive strategy: Netflix wants to be the king of video podcasts

Recently, Netflix made significant deals with iHeartMedia and Barstool Sports, joining previous commitments with Spotify and ongoing talks with SiriusXM. The goal is clear: secure exclusive rights to popular video podcast programs. Analysts see this as a direct move against YouTube, which dominates the visual content streaming space.

The numbers confirm this convincingly. YouTube reported that its users watched over 700 million hours of podcasts on TVs and similar screens in 2025—almost double the 400 million hours recorded the previous year. This suggests that video podcasts are no longer a marginal experiment but a major consumption trend.

“As audiences spend less time on traditional TV and more on short, low-cost content on YouTube, Netflix faces a long-term competitive threat,” warned Matthew Dysart, entertainment lawyer and former head of podcast affairs at Spotify, in an interview with TechCrunch.

Creators question the myth of the video talk show

However, not everyone in the industry celebrates Netflix’s shift. Independent creators are skeptical—and rightly so: they live the day-to-day of production, not just market reports.

When Mike Schubert and Sequoia Simone launched their show “Professional Talkers” this year, they decided to produce it directly as video content. But the results were discouraging. “We found that our audience was indifferent to the video,” Schubert explained to TechCrunch. “We posted just an audio episode, and it had similar numbers. Why put so much effort into video if audio works just as well?”

Another prominent podcaster, Ronald Young Jr., faced the same paradox. “I asked myself, ‘Who am I making this change for?’” he recalls. “And the answer was: for advertisers, for executives—not for my actual audience, who prefers to listen.”

Still, there is evidence that some consumers do want to watch podcasts, especially as background entertainment while doing other activities. Mikah Sargent, producer at TWiT.tv, notes that his listeners often tell him that podcasts keep them company during tough times or long trips. “For Netflix, that means creating programs that generate more viewing hours than a traditional TV episode,” Sargent explains.

The defining problem: What exactly is a podcast?

There is a deep disconnect between how creators and corporations define a podcast. For producers, a podcast can be a conversational program suitable for video, but also scripted fiction with sound design, or journalistic storytelling like NPR’s. Tech companies, on the other hand, see a podcast as any content that fits on their platform.

“The word ‘podcast’ has become so vague that it now almost means any program,” reflects independent podcaster Eric Silver. “And that creates confusion about what we are really optimizing.”

The Spotify lesson: How a bubble turns into a collapse

Creators’ skepticism is not unfounded. Years ago, Spotify spent billions acquiring startups and studios, allowing it to control the entire podcast production chain. The result was a bubble inflated by corporate money that eventually burst, leading to studio closures and layoffs.

“In any media consolidation, money flows to those who already hold power, while the industry at large impoverishes,” Silver argues.

Netflix is taking a more cautious path than Spotify. It has focused its deals on established media companies rather than individual creators. But experts expect this to change soon. “I would anticipate Netflix trying to close a nine-figure deal with a top-tier podcaster,” Dysart predicts, “and heavily investing in high-profile talent for original podcasts.”

What’s interesting is that for Netflix, a hundreds-of-millions investment is significant for the creative economy but marginal in its overall balance sheet— the company projects to generate $45 billion this year. It’s a calculated cost to quickly learn whether there’s a real business here.

The future talk show is already here

If Netflix achieves its goals, entertainment culture will change radically. Audiences will stop tuning into traditional evening talk shows and instead have podcasts as background while working, cooking, or traveling.

“Back in the day, my mom had her soap opera as company while doing chores, I had ‘The Office’ in the background,” Sargent recalls. “Now people have podcasts as company. If Netflix becomes the go-to for that, it will have won.”

This reimagined talk show—untied from schedules, not limited to formats, capable of accompanying viewers in any context—could be Netflix’s true gamble. It’s not just about competing with YouTube but redefining what daytime entertainment means in an era of fragmented, personalized consumption.