Netflix live events: what creators should do next

For years, Netflix was where content went to become "official." Polished. Packaged. Bingeable.

Now? Netflix wants the moment. The thing you can't ignore because it's happening right now, your group chat is melting, and the replay feels... late. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/24/alex-honnold-free-solo-taipei-101-netflix?utm_source=openai))

Creators: if you think this doesn't touch you because you "don't do Netflix"... that's adorable. This is a land-grab for attention, not an awards campaign.

What happened

Netflix opened its first permanent in-person "fan destination," Netflix House Philadelphia, on November 12, 2025 (King of Prussia). The Dallas location followed on December 11, 2025 (Galleria Dallas). A Las Vegas site is slated for 2027. ([ir.netflix.net](https://ir.netflix.net/investor-news-and-events/financial-releases/press-release-details/2025/NETFLIX-HOUSE-PHILADELPHIA-IS-NOW-OPEN--WELCOME-TO-OUR-HOME/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

Then Netflix went harder on live spectacles. On January 25, 2026, it streamed Skyscraper Live: Alex Honnold free-soloing Taipei 101 (yes, ropeless), after a weather delay. Netflix's own weekly ranking window put it at 6.2 million "views" through Sunday (their standard math: hours watched divided by runtime). ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/24/alex-honnold-free-solo-taipei-101-netflix?utm_source=openai))

And this wasn't some cute one-off. Netflix has been stacking live like it's building a second app inside the app: WWE's Raw moved to Netflix on January 6, 2025 as part of a 10-year deal widely reported at around $5 billion. ([about.netflix.com](https://about.netflix.com/news/jake-paul-vs-mike-tyson-over-108-million-live-global-viewers?utm_source=openai))

Netflix also proved it can pull massive live crowds with combat sports: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson (November 15, 2024) was promoted by Netflix as hitting an estimated 108 million live global viewers and peaking at 65 million concurrent streams. ([about.netflix.com](https://about.netflix.com/news/jake-paul-vs-mike-tyson-over-108-million-live-global-viewers?utm_source=openai))

Live football is in the mix too. The Lions-Vikings Christmas Day game streamed on Netflix in 2025 averaged 27.5 million viewers (a record for a streamed NFL game in the U.S., per reporting that includes local broadcasts and other distribution). ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/86bf4b41ce919fa2139eb05091d5992c?utm_source=openai))

Meanwhile, Netflix is also shopping directly from the creator aisle. Mark Rober's coming to Netflix with a competition series planned for 2026, plus a package of his big "experiment" episodes landing in 2025. ([netflix.com](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/mark-rober-netflix?utm_source=openai))

And the money machine underneath all of this is ads. Netflix said its ad tier hit 94 million monthly active users as of May 2025 - up big from the prior public update. ([cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/14/netflix-ad-tier-monthly-active-users.html?utm_source=openai))

One more thing in the background (and it's not small): Netflix has a pending deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studio assets for $72 billion, with a closing timeline described as 12 to 18 months if regulators and shareholders approve. Competing bids are still circling. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/f4884402cadfd07a99af0c8e4353bd83?utm_source=openai))

Why creators should care

Because YouTube owns the TV... and Netflix is coming for the living room anyway. Nielsen data has shown YouTube taking the biggest share of TV viewing among distributors, hitting 12.5% of total TV usage in May 2025. That's not "kids watching Shorts." That's the main screen. ([nielsen.com](https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/streaming-reaches-historic-tv-milestone-eclipses-combined-broadcast-and-cable-viewing-for-first-time/?utm_source=openai))

In the UK, the whole "YouTube is TV now" story got messier: YouTube was criticized for pulling out of BARB's audience measurement work after disputes over how viewing was being attributed and reported. Translation: ad money follows measurement, and measurement is a knife fight. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/28/youtube-criticised-pulls-out-uk-tv-audience-ratings?utm_source=openai))

Because Netflix is rebuilding creator psychology inside a subscription app. Live works for the same reason your premieres, countdowns, and "we're doing it at 7pm, be there" streams work: nobody wants to feel late. Netflix leaned into that with the Honnold climb - and even the backlash (people complaining about commentary and production choices) is a tell. Viewers weren't indifferent. They cared enough to be annoyed. ([tomsguide.com](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/skyscraper-live-backlash-heres-why-viewers-have-labeled-netflixs-live-event-a-total-joke?utm_source=openai))

Because IRL is turning into the new merch shelf. Netflix House is basically a permanent retail/events layer for IP. For creators, that's the big hint: the next era isn't just "sell a hoodie." It's "build a place people pay to step into your world." Netflix is productizing fandom. ([ir.netflix.net](https://ir.netflix.net/investor-news-and-events/financial-releases/press-release-details/2025/NETFLIX-HOUSE-PHILADELPHIA-IS-NOW-OPEN--WELCOME-TO-OUR-HOME/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

Because streamers are becoming talent buyers, not just distributors. Mark Rober moving in is a signal: Netflix isn't waiting for Hollywood to mint the next franchise. It's scanning YouTube the way labels scanned SoundCloud. And if the Warner deal actually lands, Netflix's leverage (and appetite) for IP, talent, and cross-promotion gets even scarier. ([netflix.com](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/mark-rober-netflix?utm_source=openai))

If you're building a creator business, your job is simple: don't be somebody else's "audience plug." Be the owner of the relationship. Everything else is negotiable.

What to do next

1) Start thinking in "events," not uploads. Even if you never touch Netflix, train your audience to show up at a time: scheduled lives, premieres, watch-alongs, timed drops. The muscle matters more than the platform.

2) Package your IP like a grown-up. If a streamer (or studio, or brand) calls, you want a clean one-pager, a format bible, and clarity on what you will/won't give up: rights, distribution windows, clips, behind-the-scenes, and your ability to keep posting on your own channels. Make it boring. Boring is profitable.

3) Keep your "home base" outside any one app. Email list. SMS. Community space you control. Because when platforms go live-first, they also go schedule-first. And when they go schedule-first, they can ghost you faster than an algorithm ever did.

4) Build an IRL extension you can repeat. Not a once-a-year ego meetup. A format: pop-up mini experience, workshop, small-stage show, themed challenge night - something you can run quarterly in different cities. Netflix House is a reminder that physical space is just another feed... with ticket revenue.