Netflix’s Video Podcast Push Is Off to a Slow Start

Last year, Netflix went all-in on video podcasts. In a series of high-profile moves, the streamer signed exclusive deals to bring the video versions of some of the biggest podcasts in the world onto its platform — a direct challenge to YouTube’s dominance in the space.

In October 2025, Netflix partnered with Spotify Studios and The Ringer to stream video episodes of popular shows including The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Zach Lowe Show, The Mismatch, and several others. Two months later, it struck an eight-figure annual deal with Barstool Sports for video rights to Pardon My Take, Spittin’ Chiclets, and The Ryen Russillo Show. Around the same time, Netflix also inked a major partnership with iHeartMedia, later expanding it to include more star-driven titles.

The goal was clear: turn passive audio listeners into engaged video viewers on Netflix, boost overall platform engagement, and steal attention from YouTube.

So far, the results have been disappointing.

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Low Viewership Despite Heavy Promotion

According to industry insider Matthew Belloni, writing in Puck, Netflix’s video podcast numbers are low. No video podcast has cracked Nielsen’s weekly top 10 streaming chart — a list Netflix usually dominates with its original series and films. Multiple sources inside the company have told Belloni that overall podcast engagement remains weak.

Netflix has not been shy about pushing the content. Video podcasts are prominently featured on the homepage and in recommendations. Yet viewers are not biting in significant numbers.

The broader context doesn’t help. Netflix’s most recent Engagement Report showed that total hours viewed in the second half of 2025 rose just 2%, while its global subscriber base grew by an estimated 10%. That translates to roughly an 8% decline in daily engagement per subscriber, according to MoffettNathanson.

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Audiences Exist — Just Not in Big Numbers Yet

There is some good news buried in the data. A June 2026 Edison Research report on Q1 2026 found that 14% of weekly podcast listeners have already used Netflix to consume podcasts. Samba TV data similarly showed that around 13% of Netflix households had watched at least one podcast on the platform during the same period.

For a platform that didn’t even have a dedicated podcast section until recently, that’s not nothing. But it’s clearly far below what Netflix hoped for when it wrote big checks to lock up these exclusive video rights.

Part of the issue appears to be habit. Many listeners still prefer the audio-only experience — whether while commuting, working out, or multitasking. Switching to a TV or tablet to watch people talk can feel like an extra step, especially when the same episodes are already available for free (or via existing subscriptions) in audio form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

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“Tip of the Spear” — But Change Takes Time

Barstool Sports co-host Dan “Big Cat” Katz, whose show Pardon My Take was one of the first big titles to move to Netflix video exclusivity, acknowledged the challenge in an April 2026 interview.

“We were kind of the tip of the spear for them. Which, that’s a little scary,” he said. “Because there’s a little bit of tension where people are like, ‘Well, I’m not going to watch podcasts on Netflix.’

I get it. I think where we’re going to end up in a couple of years, it’s going to be very commonplace for people to consume their podcasts on Netflix.”

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters has framed the strategy as being driven by “demand signals” from members and as a way to compete more directly with YouTube for long-form video attention.

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Early Days, But Pressure Is Real

It’s still relatively early — most of the exclusive video content only started rolling out in early 2026. Podcast audiences have historically been slow to adopt new platforms, and habits around “watching” rather than just listening don’t change overnight.

That said, Netflix is under pressure to show that its big podcast bet is moving the needle. With overall engagement per subscriber trending down and competition for viewer time fiercer than ever, the company will be hoping that the 14% of podcast listeners who have already sampled its video versions grows significantly over the next 12 months.

For now, though, Netflix’s video podcast strategy remains more promise than payoff. The content is there, heavily promoted, and backed by major talent — but viewers are proving harder to convert than the streamer anticipated.