Netflix is launching a RADIO station in January – and its name is a complete joke
NETFLIX is set to launch its very own radio station at the beginning of 2019 – and it's called 'Netflix is a Joke Radio'.
It's the first time Netflix has moved beyond its core business of flogging TV shows and movies.
The launch is thanks to a partnership with SiriusXM, a major satellite broadcasting company in the USA.
Netflix's radio station will appear as a channel on the SiriusXM app and website, and is expected to go live to the public in January.
This means it's also the first time Netflix has relied on someone else to distribute its own content.
"We look forward to creating one-of-a-kind exclusive original comedy programming with existing and new Netflix talent," said SiriusXM's Scott Greenstein.
The Netflix radio station will feature comedy content exclusively – hence the name.
That's not a huge surprise: Netflix has been heavily investing in comedy shows in recent years.
Netflix has successfully managed to woo star stand-up comics like Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle.
It's also produced its own comic-starring TV shows, like Travels with My Father – the popular Jack Whitehall comedy documentary series.
There's no word on who'll be appearing in Netflix radio shows, however.
But we do know that the service will be completely ad-free – just like Netflix proper.
"We believe our promotional partnership with SiriusXM will extend choice for listeners to sample and enjoy commercial-free content off of our service," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix's content boss.
The move is a major win for SiriusXM, which has 33million subscribers around the world.
Picking up more non-music content means it can get a leg up over key rival Spotify.
But this is also a huge deal for Netflix, which is facing serious threats to existence.
Amazon, for instance, offers the very similar Prime Video service, but a Prime subscription gets you loads of benefits.
Prime perks include free one-day delivery, photo storage, and access to exclusive Amazon deals – for less money than a Netflix subscription.
Netflix, meanwhile, costs more, and only gives you access to TV shows and movies.
To compete with Amazon, Netflix needs to up its game, and offer users more than just a bit of quality telly.
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Netflix is also expected to face stiff competition from Apple, too.
It's rumoured that Apple is working on a TV and movie streaming service of its own, to rival Netflix.
This is expected to be tied into the existing Apple Music subscription, potentially making it better value for money than Netflix.
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