Netflix has launched a new feature that will enable viewers to interact with live content while they’re watching.
Starting on Jan. 20, viewers can now pick an option from a multiple-choice menu and rate someone’s performance on a scale of five stars. To cast a vote, anyone can use the Netflix app or a TV remote.
The feature has been unveiled as part of Netflix’s new show, Star Search, which is a reboot of the series that “launched stars like Dave Chappelle, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake,” according to the Netflix website. Anthony Anderson will host the show that’ll feature “a broader mix of performers (from musicians and dancers to comedians, juniors, and variety acts).”
According to Netflix, the voting mechanism will work globally and will allow the platform to count votes in real time. Viewers will have a limited time to vote, and once that time is over, additional votes won’t matter. So in order to vote while watching the show, you have to watch it live and do it — not binge later.
Netflix’s CTO, Elizabeth Stone, revealed at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 that the company would start implementing live voting after it started testing it during the platform’s show Dinner Time Live With David Chang in August.
“If you’re sitting at home watching Star Search on your TV, you’ll be able to either on the TV or your mobile phone actually put in a vote that advances or doesn’t advance some of the contestants on the show,” Stone said at the time. “So it’s just a very early starting example of the ways that we think content can be more interactive over time, across devices, between TV and mobile, where a member who subscribes to Netflix can actually feel like they’re part of the story, influence the storyline, and feel immersed in that.”
The voting will differ depending on the title being watched, according to the brand's website. "The weighting of the audience vote may vary for each show that includes real-time voting. Tune in live to understand the rules for a particular show,” it reads.