The battle between Netflix and YouTube for eyeballs can best be described as a Cold War of sorts. Each streaming giant — the two largest in the entertainment ecosystem by far — have taken gentle shots at one another in the press, insisting it’s not too worried about the other in the competition for consumers’ attention. But as YouTube’s lead grows wider, Netflix has begun to actively court the audience that is parked at YouTube for hours.
It began with children’s entertainment like “Ms. Rachel” and “Blippi,” which Netflix licensed to huge viewership. But in 2026, Netflix’s investment in creator-led content will take a big leap as it gets into the world of video podcasts.
Netflix is expected to kick off next year with 50 to 75 original podcast shows in addition to the Ringer properties it is getting from its partnership with Spotify, according to a person familiar with Netflix’s podcast strategy. The company is also quietly courting top podcasts for potential partnerships — including from iHeartMedia and SiriusXM.
By entering this category, Netflix will attempt to steal some of the casual viewing that YouTube and TikTok have effectively monopolized. Netflix’s hope is that video podcasts will boost engagement hours, attract younger and more diverse viewers and expand Netflix’s advertising inventory, positioning the company as a home for “modern talk shows” at a fraction of late night TV’s cost.
“We want to win what we call the moments of truth,” said a person close to Netflix’s podcast strategy. “When people aren’t spending time on Netflix, we want to win as much of that as possible.”
Netflix’s move comes as Americans are watching more video-native podcasts than ever: 73% of people over the age of 12 have consumed a podcast, and more than half have watched one on video, according to Edison Research. YouTube said it draws more than a billion monthly viewers to podcasts and talk-style shows alone.
The medium has become a hub for traditional celebrities to speak off the cuff, whether they are hosting their own shows or as a guest, and are necessary stops for Hollywood press tours, such as when Leonardo DiCaprio appeared on the Kelce brothers’ top-rated podcast “New Heights” for “One Battle After Another” and Kim Kardashian appeared on “Call Her Daddy” for her Hulu show “All’s Fair.”
For Netflix, this represents a break from its traditional focus on premium film and television, embracing a format that’s cheaper, faster, personality-driven and proven to make a profit. Though co-CEO Ted Sarandos has said that not everything on YouTube fits within the streamer’s strategy, podcasts apparently now have a role.
“It is the logical next step,” Ryan Jann, Wave Sports + Entertainment’s strategy and revenue head, told TheWrap. “YouTube is elevating the quality of their content at scale, and Netflix is trying to build a bigger library of content that users can engage with on a regular basis.”
Netflix’s video podcasting strategy
Netflix’s video podcast leadership team consists of Brandon Riegg, who leads the nonfiction and originals team, and Lauren Smith on the licensing side. The company plans to put equal weight into producing original content on topics that complement its hit shows and documentaries, as well as pushing to grow its audience through established podcasts.
“We’re going to build into this category like we do with our other categories based on demand signals that we get from our members,” Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, said when asked about the partnership during the company’s earnings call last month. “This is really the opportunity to integrate high-quality video podcasts that broadens the Netflix offering beyond all the incredible films and series, beyond the live events that we are building, stand up specials and games. We hope that ultimately reinforces our value as the most important service for entertainment needs.”
The Ringer shows, including sports-centric talk show “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the cinephile-friendly “The Big Picture,” the NBA-themed “The Zach Lowe Show” and several other sports and true crime properties, are only the initial set of podcasts the streamer hopes to license for its platform.
Deals are all over the map, according to the individual, who said the streamer is interested in small and large partnerships. The company does not plan to release financial terms of the podcast deals as other companies like SiriusXM and Spotify have.
Netflix intends to work with individuals that have a “singular voice” but also match the wide variety of content available on the app. The Ringer “aligned perfectly” with the company’s strategy, according to the source.
Other streamers have leaned into recap podcasts that specifically pair with content on the platform, such as Hulu’s “Dancing With the Stars Official Podcast” and HBO’s “The Severance Podcast” and “And Just Like That … The Writers Room.” Similar content could be included in Netflix’s 2026 original video podcasting strategy.
“There are a lot of conversations and they are ongoing,” the person said. “Those who actively watch video podcasts, they’re younger and more diverse than those who listen to audio-only podcasts, so that’s certainly something that we looked at and applied in making this deal. With a lot of the video podcasts on YouTube, people just put that on and start doing their daily stuff, whether chores or working out or whatever. That’s a goal of ours.”
This is something of a bet on Netflix’s part, which explains why they’re starting with only a handful of video podcast shows. Historically, streaming talk shows have not worked — Chelsea Handler and Amber Ruffin hosted first-of-their-kind “late night” shows at Netflix and Peacock, respectively, only to be quietly canceled.
But that was, of course, before the major boon of creator-led shows on YouTube.
Video is invaluable
Many podcast network heads do not consider their shows podcasts at all.
Michael Bosstick founded Dear Media in 2018. Since then, his podcasting network has created over 100 shows, with more than 90% of them hosted by women.
“I always tell people I never set out to build a podcast network,” he told TheWrap. “For me, these are just like modern talk shows with better unit economics. You see the decline of late night shows or shows that require a ton of production and dollars behind them to produce. These are just maybe the more modern and relevant talk show formats, and I think the streamers are recognizing that they need to be in that business.”
Dear Media has never signed exclusivity agreements with any of the leading audio platforms, and Bosstick said that is intentional. Cross-platform marketing has been crucial in discoverability of his show “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her” and others at the network. Video has been key in driving viewers from short-form video platforms — like Instagram Reels and TikTok — to the long-form content on YouTube, Spotify or Apple to see the full episodes.
“Having video opens so many more possibilities for you in terms of where you can distribute it, and it also makes it more of an intimate and personality-based thing for your host,” Joe Caporoso, president of Whistle entertainment, told TheWrap. “People get to see what they look like consistently, their facial expressions, and whatever unique or interesting guests they bring on.”
Home to shows from athletes like NFL stars George Kittle and brothers Caleb and Josh Downs, Team Whistle sees the value in video for showcasing the athletes off the field. The hosts are also able to promote the content on their platforms as well as generate engagement on the podcast channels themselves.
Jann, EVP of Strategy and Revenue at Wave, also never sought out to create podcasts with his digital media venture. When he teamed up with Jason and Travis Kelce to create their show “New Heights,” he said video was not a question.
“Video was always the first thought,” he told TheWrap. “We still don’t think about audio, to be honest, it’s kind of the third distribution point. We think about YouTube first, social channels second, and audio as a third place to consume our content.”
We think about YouTube first, social channels second, and audio as a third place to consume our content. – Ryan Jann, head of strategy and revenue, Wave Sports + Entertainment
Wave generates the most revenue for its podcast shows on YouTube and also finds the most organic audience there, but it uses other platforms for marketability and to generate ad revenue. As for traditional streamers’ increasing interest in the industry, Jann said he was not surprised.
“The top podcasts have millions of viewers every episode,” he said. “That’s bigger than a lot of their TV shows.”
Wave has had conversations with several streamers about what a potential partnership would look like, but at this point, the company is not ready to give up the YouTube eyeballs and engagement.
Creators’ interest and hesitance in the Netflix podcasting era
The draw of Netflix is obvious: the streamer provides a massive audience – over 300 million global subscribers – that could open up new and existing podcasts to audiences outside of their social bubbles.
But “Therapuss” podcast host Jake Shane has thrived finding a niche, dedicated fanbase for his podcast. With guests like Glen Powell, Tate McRae and Selena Gomez, the TikTok star has been able to grow his platform and land A-list guests with his following alone.
“Podcasting is like a For You page where everybody has their own different thing that they listen to and thing that they carve out for their audience,” he told TheWrap. “When I was starting, I was like, ‘Oh, well, I missed the podcasting boom.’ And it’s just not true.”
Reports that iHeartMedia and SiriusXM may join Netflix’s podcasting hub could mean talent like Alex Cooper, Howard Stern, Mel Robbins and “Las Culturistas” with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers make the jump to the streamer.
Others, however, are a little wary of giving up their reach elsewhere should Netflix insist on exclusivity.
“YouTube offers something fundamentally different than the streamers do,” Jann said. “YouTube offers a direct connection to your fans. You can talk to their fans in the comment section. There’s a much different audience connection there that is going to be really difficult to replace on any of the streaming networks.”
“Dear Media historically has never done exclusives, and I’ve always thought that that was a limitation,” Bosstick said. “I’m sure Netflix has huge ambitions in this space, but I think the power of this medium is being able to meet the consumer wherever they choose.”
Wave’s Jann anticipated that many of the deals with streamers like Netflix or Paramount will likely be with audio-first companies initially.
“We’ve had conversations with all of the streamers about whether it’s special live event episodes, bringing our shows to the Oscars, bringing our shows to the Super Bowl, bringing our shows to whatever major tentpole event that network is covering, whether it be on the streaming channel or the linear channel,” Jann added, but he is less interested in exclusive deals with streamers.
Netflix spent years saying it wasn’t interested in being YouTube. But in 2026, it may have no choice but to become the part of YouTube its audiences already love the most.
