Get Paid to Watch Netflix: 5 Side Hustles for TV and Film Addicts

The most direct way to earn money from Netflix is to sign up as a tagger.

Sometimes also referred to as a “metadata analyst,” a Netflix tagger is someone who watches content and then adds relevant “tags” to classify and categorize it. These may include information like:

• A show or movie’s release date
• What genre it belongs to
• What language it’s in
• Whether it has profanity or other sensitive content

Most taggers are directly employed by Netflix. They often work remotely or in a hybrid capacity, and may be part-time or full-time employees.

This job has a lot of obvious appeal for TV and movie buffs, but there are a few catches. The first (and biggest) is that becoming a Netflix tagger isn’t easy. It’s a highly coveted position, and it requires more experience than you might expect.

Netflix reportedly looks for people who have worked in film or media for at least 5 years. You don’t need to be a famous director, but if you’re a total outsider to the industry, you’ll have a tough time getting your foot in the door. (On the other hand, if you have professional experience as a film critic or production assistant, you’re in good shape.)

If you’ve previously worked as a data scientist or analyst, that’ll also be a strong plus.

How to get started

Netflix has a jobs page where you can find opportunities in different departments. To find tagging jobs, search for “editorial content analyst,” as well as “tagger.”

Be aware that if you see a Netflix tagging job advertised elsewhere, unless the listing leads you directly back to Netflix’s own site, there’s a good chance it’s fake. Because this job is so desirable (or is perceived as desirable), fraudsters may use it as a lure to draw people into their scams.

Keep your wits about you when you look for Netflix-related jobs. Don’t share too much information in the early stages of any job application, and remember that you shouldn’t ever have to pay to apply for a job or hand over financial information, such as your credit card number.

How much can you earn from Netflix tagging?

Reports vary regarding how much you can earn as a Netflix tagger. While you can easily find sites that claim to tell you what hourly rate you can expect, it’s unclear where any of these numbers came from, and they might not be reliable.

If you’re qualified to work as a Netflix tagger, your best bet is to just ask about salary at some point in the application process.

Closed captioning refers to writing subtitles for movies, shows, or other video content. It involves transcribing spoken dialogue and other meaningful sounds (e.g., sound effects, musical cues, etc.), which are then synchronized with the video.

Viewers can use closed captions to follow the text as it appears on the screen while they watch. Closed captioning is often—but not always—used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

How to get started

To look for jobs writing closed captions for Netflix, you can check their jobs page, linked above. It’s unclear how often they open new captioning positions (or if they’ll do that at all in the future), but it’s worth a look.

If you don’t have any luck on Netflix’s own site, there are plenty of third-party companies that provide closed caption services for streaming platforms like Netflix. You can sign up to their platforms and look for gigs transcribing subtitles for TV shows and movies.

Prominent companies in this space include:

• Rev
• Vanan Captioning
• Bunny Studio

You may be able to find opportunities directly on their sites, but it’s also worth checking out remote job boards like FlexJobs.

How much can you earn from closed captioning?

Closed captioning is a type of transcription, and transcription jobs generally pay anywhere from $0.40 to $3 per audio minute. As a novice captioner, you’ll probably earn something near the lower end of that range.

One of the largest transcription and captioning platforms, Rev, claims that the average earnings for a closed captioner stand at $240 per month, although they don’t specify how many hours of work this usually entails.

Market research apps collect data on your mobile browsing patterns and behaviors. You install them on your device, and they track your internet usage, including what websites you visit and what other apps you use.

How to get started

Popular data-tracking apps include:

• The Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel: Go to their webpage and download their app to sign up and start earning rewards (which you can redeem via PayPal or as gift cards).
• MobileXpression: Sign up on their webpage to start earning rewards (which are redeemable as gift cards).
• Survey Junkie (Pulse): Survey Junkie is a site that will pay you to take surveys and complete other small tasks. It offers a data-tracking app called the Pulse Program. Download the app on Survey Junkie’s website to start earning rewards (which are redeemable as gift cards or via PayPal or bank transfer).

If you run these apps on your device while you watch Netflix, you’ll get paid for it. If you leave them open while doing other things, such as browsing the internet, you’ll make money for that, too, although it’s obviously something you should only do if you’re okay with having companies monitor your online behavior.

How much can you earn from market research apps?

You can earn real money from selling your data to market research companies, but not all that much money.

According to the Nielsen website, you can earn up to $60 in rewards points per year by using their app. The MobileXpression claims that you can probably earn enough credits for a $5 gift card in around one week.

These estimates suggest the apps pay relatively low hourly rates. The unfortunate truth is that you probably won’t be able to make big bucks doing something that requires very little active effort.

If you’re willing to try a more active side hustle, you can try reviewing Netflix films and shows for publications that work with freelance reviewers.

This isn’t the easiest gig to get going—all types of freelance writing are quite competitive, particularly in the age of AI-generated content—but it has great long-term potential if you’re willing to put in the effort and stick with it. If your reviews really take off, they could be your stepping stone into a new career as a professional critic.

How to get started

There are several popular magazines and websites that accept work from independent reviewers. You can try submitting to:

• Cineaste
• Cultured Vultures
• Screen Rant (a very popular site for new freelance writers)
• Taste of Cinema

All of those publications have editorial guidelines and instructions that walk you through their process. Follow these to apply as a freelancer or pitch an article, then get to watching and writing.

How much can you earn from writing Netflix movie reviews?

The money you can make from writing Netflix reviews will vary greatly from publication to publication and will heavily depend on your experience.

In general, movie reviewers can make anywhere from $5 to $200+ per review (and, to complicate things, reviews can be anywhere from 500 to 2,000+ words). Realistically, as a beginner, you’ll probably command fairly low rates.

For example, Cineaste pays $18 for “Short Take” reviews and $45 for film reviews. Screen Rant pays notoriously poor rates (reportedly $5–$20 per article).

The good news is that if you stick with this side hustle long enough to build up a solid portfolio, you can eventually apply to publications that pay more, including print magazines and newspapers.

If you like the idea of expressing yourself but pitching reviews to publications and editors sounds like a headache, you can always go at it alone and create your own content about what you’re watching on Netflix.

There are many different types of content creation. For instance, you can consider:

• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Vlogging (e.g., YouTubing or TikToking)

Regardless of the channel and medium you choose, you can create whatever type of content appeals to you. Here again, independently publishing reviews is a popular option, but you could also report on new Netflix productions, comment on the state of the film and TV industry in general, or do something else entirely.

How to get started

This side hustle has virtually no barrier to entry; anyone can create content with just a laptop and internet connection (although if you want to create video content, it’s a good idea to also get a decent camera, a microphone, and lighting equipment).

The key is to post regularly, and above all, to make sure your content is actually interesting. There are a lot of content creators out there, and only a minority actually gain traction and amass a following. Luck and talent play a role in this, of course, but motivation, effort, and persistence are very important as well.

How much can you earn from making Netflix-related content?

As with reviewing movies for established publications, there’s a ton of variation when it comes to how much you can earn as an independent Netflix content creator.

When you’re just starting out, you’ll earn next to nothing. However, if and when your content takes off, you may be able to earn hundreds or thousands of dollars per month with the right monetization strategies (such as placing ads on your content or employing affiliate marketing).