Streaming platform Netflix is making a decisive push into video podcasting, signalling the latest expansion of its content strategy beyond traditional series, films and live sports.
The streamer has unveiled its first wave of original video podcasts, led by projects from former NFL star Michael Irvin and comedian Pete Davidson (pictured, courtesy Netflix). This follows the recent addition of high-profile third-party shows to its platform.
Irvin’s series, The White House with Michael Irvin, premieres on January 19 and will release two episodes weekly. The sports talk show marks Netflix’s first original, topical sports podcast and deepens Irvin’s relationship with the company following his role in America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys and his analyst duties around NFL. Produced by Brandon Marshall’s athlete-led podcast company (creators of the I Am Athlete podcast), the show will feature Irvin hosting no-holds-barred conversations on sports news with co-hosts and guests.
Irvin has described the project as a hybrid of traditional television and modern podcasting, designed to capture the immediacy and authenticity of digital talk while benefiting from Netflix’s global reach and production muscle. The show’s title references the legendary Cowboys-era gathering spot Irvin once called a “safe place for camaraderie,” while also nodding to cultural power and recognition in a crowded media landscape.
The Irvin series arrives as Netflix ramps up its broader podcast ambitions. On January 30, the company will debut The Pete Davidson Show, a weekly video podcast filmed largely in the comedian’s garage and exclusive to Netflix. Davidson’s show represents the streamer’s first original comedy podcast and his fourth collaboration with the platform.
In parallel, Netflix has licensed a slate of established audio and video podcasts from partners including The Ringer, Barstool Sports and iHeartMedia, featuring shows such as The Bill Simmons Podcast, Pardon My Take and Spittin’ Chiclets.
Netflix’s move is part of a growing trend for SVOD platforms to co-opt innovations and talent from digital-first platforms. Netflix has signed up several social media stars to make shows which Disney+ recently announced its entry into the vertical video market.
