Netflix has completely changed how we watch the telly in recent years, allowing us to binge through box sets without having to wait days on end for the next episode to air.
This has been a brilliant development for those of us who can’t bear to leave things on a cliff-hanger for a week, tempting us through episode after episode in rapid succession.
However, now Netflix is shaking things up again in a rather unexpected fashion, testing out a channel of scheduled programming – basically, good old-fashioned telly.
the new ‘Direct’ will see Netflix trying out ‘real-time, scheduled programming’.
Described as being the equivalent of a Netflix television channel, this linear channel will only be made available to Netflix subscribers, and is getting a test trial this month in France.
France was reportedly chosen for this test run due to ‘the consumption of traditional TV [in France]’, with many viewers said to ‘like the idea of programming that doesn’t require them to choose what they are going to watch’.
According to a Netflix statement:
Whether you are lacking inspiration or whether you are discovering Netflix for the first time, you could let yourself be guided for the first time without having to choose a particular title and let yourself be surprised by the diversity of Netflix’s library.
The Direct channel reportedly had a soft launch in France on November 5, with the service due to become more widely available in France by early December.
