Netflix reportedly in programming talks with Barack Obama – CNET

Barack And Michelle Obama Attend Portrait Unveiling At Nat'l Portrait Gallery

Former President Barack Obama is reportedly in talks with Netflix to produce a series of shows for the streaming service.

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

You could soon be seeing more of Barack Obama again.

Netflix is in talks with the former president to produce a series of high-profile shows that would be available only on its streaming service, The New York Times reported Thursday. The deal hasn’t been finalized, and the show’s format and number of episodes have yet to be determined, sources tell the newspaper.

The streaming service, which has 117 million subscribers around the world, would give the president expanded access to his audience, adding to his 101 million Twitter followers and the 55 million people who have liked his Facebook page.

While the shows will give Obama a global platform, he doesn’t intend to use it to address President Donald Trump or other conservative critics, the sources said. Rather, Obama and his wife, Michelle, have discussed producing shows that focus on inspirational shows.

“President and Mrs. Obama have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire,” Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to the former president, told the newspaper Thursday. “Throughout their lives, they have lifted up stories of people whose efforts to make a difference are quietly changing the world for the better. As they consider their future personal plans, they continue to explore new ways to help others tell and share their stories.”

Executives from Apple and Amazon, which have their own streaming services, have also expressed interest in talking with Obama about producing shows, sources told the Times.

Netflix didn’t immediate respond to a request for comment.

The Smartest Stuff: Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter.

Apple: See what’s up with the tech giant as it readies new iPhones and more.