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In case you haven't noticed, some pretty major podcasts and radio shows have transitioned over to Netflix. One of those shows is none other than The Breakfast Club. While the show is still transmitted over the radio, you will no longer find full interviews on YouTube. Instead, you will have to subscribe to Netflix to get your daily dose of Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious.
The Breakfast Club isn't the only hip-hop-related entity to go in this direction. Rory & Mal have also gone over to Netflix. This has subsequently led to a decline in viral clips from their show. The show's engagement has had a significant decline, and they aren't the only ones feeling the effects.
As it turns out, The Breakfast Club is coming off one of its worst months on YouTube in years. In February of 2025, the show had 27 million viewers on the Power 105 YouTube page. In February of 2026, those numbers declined to 13 million viewers. This is a steep decline, and it is further proof that the Netflix deal has taken away some of the show's viewership.
DJ Akademiks was recently on stream, where he spoke about the situation and why it's happening. Simply put, the focus on Netflix has alienated viewers who don't have a subscription.
DJ Akademiks on The Breakfast Club and Netflix
For The Breakfast Club and other big podcasts, the calculus was simple. Netflix pays up front for an entire year's worth of content. That payout was likely larger than whatever The Breakfast Club would have made through YouTube ad revenue.
However, the issue is this: if and when The Breakfast Club leaves Netflix and comes back to YouTube, there is a chance that their audience will have left them behind. There is no guarantee that the numbers will eventually return to where they once were.
The short-term gain might lead to long-term pain. The media landscape is incredibly unpredictable, and there is no telling how this is all going to end.
