Pete Davidson, Michael Irvin projects kick off Netflix foray into original vodcasts

The Pete Davidson Show is set in the TV host’s garage

Netflix has commissioned weekly talkshows fronted by comedian Pete Davidson and American football legend Michael Irvin as it looks to challenge YouTube’s dominance in the video podcast space.

The Pete Davidson Show, set to premiere on Friday January 30, will see the Saturday Night Live alum having candid conversations in his garage, with a new episode debuting weekly.

The project is produced by Marc Lieberman, president of Above Average, and Ayala Cohen (Saturday Night Live), with Sarah Brennan Kolb directing.

It marks the latest collaboration between Netflix and Davidson, who has done two comedy specials for the streamer, including 2020’s Alive from New York.

Netflix has also greenlit The White House with Michael Irvin, which will feature sports news, game analysis and commentary, with two episodes released weekly.

Irvin, who also appeared in Netflix original docuseries America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, will host the show alongside a rotating stable of co-hosts, including retired NFL player Brandon Marshall. Irvin and Marshall are producing.

Netflix has branded both projects as video podcasts, but they will be exclusive to Netflix and will not be made available on any podcast platforms, leading some online to question whether they can be classified as podcasts at all.

Nevertheless, the move is a significant one for Netflix as it looks to grow engagement on the platform and steal away some audience share from YouTube, where video podcasts have been a major viewership driver for years.

In October, the streamer unveiled a wide-ranging US deal with Spotify through which a selection of video podcasts would be available on both services, including The Bill Simmons Podcast and several sport-focused shows from pod network The Ringer and Spotify Studios.

That pact is set to officially begin early this year, as is another agreement Netflix signed with iHeartMedia giving it exclusive access to more than 15 video podcasts from the podcast studio.

Both deals required the podcast owners to remove full episodes from YouTube, although clips will remain.