This summer, Netflix is introducing a revolutionary streaming item to its schedule, live streams of NASA endeavors, such as rocket launches, astronaut space goes out on a limb, and live looks in the International Space Station. This will be one of the most ambitious moves of Netflix into the non-entertainment live programming, aimed to deliver the thrill and real-time effect of space exploration into living rooms around the globe.
The partnership merges the ad-free NASA+ videos which are already being offered by NASA on its site and app with Netflix without any additional cost to the Netflix subscribers. Although the exact launch date remains unknown, Netflix did confirm that it would appear in the summer and more precise programming schedules will be available within the upcoming weeks. Among the first events, the launch of the Progress 92 cargo mission on July 3, its docking two days after, and spacewalks are expected.
The decision by Netflix comes amid growing attempts by the streaming giant to go beyond scripted programming. The event demonstrated that Netflix is anticipating entering into the live broadcasting business as it acquired rights to live events such as NFL games or Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing last year. The NASA alliance scales the platform to another level however, in the scientific and educational programming, making the space agency to connect further with people so that the innovative work is more widely known .
On the part of NASA, the project promotes its mandate in the 1958 Space Act to, among other things, to communicate its space exploration to the widest possible audience. According to Rebecca Sirmons, the general manager of NASA+, the collaboration is to acknowledge the fact that there are changing media consumption trends especially to the younger generation who are now migrating to streaming services instead of turning on the television.
But then, what are actually you going to see on Netflix NASA+ hub?
You can imagine immersive livestreams of:
Launch of orbital rockets, including rocket vehicles and stages separations
Live spacewalks wherein the astronauts are working out outside the ISS will be also provided.
Live updates and real time commentaries of NASA engineers and NASA officials
Aerial pictures of planet Earth taken by ISS cameras transferred into houses in the real time of it.
The authenticity on these livestreams is unmatched as it puts the enthusiasm of the space mission on steroids to the mass market. There is no branding overlay, no commercial advertising in traditional NASA TV and instead all of the content will be clean continuous and available when the subscriber wants it.
To Netflix, the partnership is a strategic move. It contributes to differentiation of the content and makes platform a center of live science and explorative content, yet it is also used in order to further solidify user retention. Having almost 700 million subscribers around the world, Netflix will be able to access the viewers who might not necessarily be interested in observing NASA products, and who can be motivated by the speech related to the space content.
It is that worldwide reach. Global audiences will at last have steady access to most fascinating missions of NASA not depending upon local broadcasting settlements. The project is a part of the wider trend in the delivery of the content: networks and agencies are realizing that joining forces with international streamers provides them with increased accessibility and resonance.
Not everything is clear: Is Netflix going to add live NASA content and push notifications about upcoming launches? Will it include interviews with astronauts or take us to the scenes of behind the mission preparations? And what shall the platform do about time zones? And without complete clarity, the shift is indicative of a bold ambition – Netflix is no longer such a place where people only go to watch shows and movies, but also to experience live events that mark human success.
In the future, both Netflix and NASA claim to inform the audience about additional events related to the mission. Schedules of key launches, space walks, and documentaries like Cosmic Dawn, original shows like Far Out and Space out which have already gained popularity on NASA websites can be looked forward to by the subscribers.
