Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone unveiled plans to revive Star Search with real-time voting as part of the streamer’s push into live, interactive content. Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Viewers watching Netflix’s upcoming reboot of Star Searchthe talent show that helped launch the careers of Beyoncé and Britney Spears, won’t just watch the competition unfold; they’ll help shape it. When the show returns in 2026, Netflix will introduce real-time voting capabilities, chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone announced yesterday (Oct. 28) at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
“It’s just a very early starting example of the ways that we think content can be more interactive,” said Stone, describing the feature as a way for members to “feel like they’re part of the story.”
The move marks Netflix’s latest evolution as it deepens its push into live programming. Once a DVD mailing service in the 1990s, the company has steadily expanded its scope, from streaming to live events like the 2024 Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, which drew 65 million concurrent viewers, along with comedy specials, sports coverage and award shows.
Though live programming still represents a “small share” of Netflix’s overall content, Stone said such experiences will become “even more personalized, even more interactive, even more immersive.” Star Searchwhich has been off air since 1995, will be the next major test of that vision, allowing viewers to vote for contestants directly from their TVs or mobile phones.
Netflix is also doubling down on interactivity through gaming. “There’s also a lot that’s exciting with cloud games, which introduces another similar kind of interaction pattern,” said Stone. The company plans to launch “fun living room party games” through late 2025 and early next year, including titles like the classic word game Boggle.
Games offer Netflix a natural opportunity to build on its original intellectual property. For example, creating games around Stranger Things could give fans new, immersive ways to engage with the show’s world, Stone said.
This isn’t Netflix’s first experiment with interactive storytelling. In 2018, it released Bandersnatch, the Black Mirror episode that let viewers choose the story’s direction and determine its ending. The platform’s new interactive features go further by adding a real-time component. “It’s a live experience where you’re influencing an outcome or having an experience versus absorbing or consuming content without an ability to play a part in that story,” said Stone.
Beyond live programming and gaming, Netflix is also testing short-form, vertical video content designed for mobile devices. Experiments will roll out over the next few quarters and into 2026. The goal, Stone said, is to offer something “more snackable” for members—bite-sized clips that can also be shared across social networks. She emphasized, however, that Netflix isn’t trying to directly compete with other short-video platforms. “It is not intending to copy or chase exactly what TikTok or others are doing,” she said.
Stone, who joined Netflix in 2018 and became CTO in 2023, said that the company’s constant reinvention is key to its endurance. “I would much rather work at a company that continues to evolve than one that stays static.”
