Next for Netflix: Streaming site explores interactive content

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Interactive TV drama has become one of the latest areas for streaming site Netflix to explore. This burgeoning form of TV allows viewers to influence storylines. Our reporter May Lee reports from LA.

If you want to know how to create an interactive television show, ask Sandeep Parikh. He created the cutting edge series "That Moment When" for storytelling platform Eko, which focuses on interactive content.

SANDEEP PARIKH, CREATOR-DIRECTOR "THAT MOMENT WHEN" "I always say when people ask me what's 'That Moment When' I say, imagine if you're watching 'Friends', but you have control over Rachel and you can decide if she kisses Ross or slaps him in the face and the story takes off from there, from your choice. How cool is that."

So cool that companies like Netflix are jumping on the interactive bandwagon and developing specials, including an episode of "Black Mirror" that will let viewers choose storylines in real time, which is exactly what Parikh achieved with his series.

"So typical start of a show right."

"So it looks like a regular show right now."

Throughout the show, viewers are asked to make choices that affect the storyline.

"Here's your first choice."

"Ok, I'm going to choose scar"

"Neck scar."

"Scar? Everyone can see how deformed I am."

"Oh, so I made a bad choice."

"Probably wasn't the socially right move."

For Parikh, one of the many challenges in creating an interactive program was and continues to be developing the technology that allows for seamless interactivity.

SANDEEP PARIKH, CREATOR-DIRECTOR "THAT MOMENT WHEN" "The biggest hurdles for us was that there was no established format so we were inventing not just the show itself but the format for what would be a satisfying interactive show. It's gotta feel intuitive and right for this format, so that was really tough, and that was just a lot of experimentation ultimately."

And production, too, is much more complex with interactive content. Instead of one scene with one storyline, multiple scenes with multiple outcomes have to be shot.

But from a monetary perspective, this allows advertisers to interact with potential consumers in multiple and more personal ways.

KAYLA O'LEARY MINDSHARE DIGITAL INVESTMENT "Personalization is more and more important for brands with the proliferation of information available in the online space. It's important to cut through the clutter and be really relevant to the consumer and produce content that they want to engage with and that they can make personal to them."

And companies are putting their money where their mouth is. Walmart just invested $250 million dollars in Eko to create more interactive programming.

MAY LEE LOS ANGELES "So if interactive content continues to catch on, who knows, you might be able to shape news stories like this one. So let me give you an example. You'll choose if I sign off as usual. May Lee, CGTN, Los Angeles. OR, sign off with a little attitude. May Lee, CGTN, Peace out! But we're not quite there yet."