Real-time voting is coming to Netflix’s live streaming events

Netflix is putting its own twist on a broadcast TV mainstay—live voting—as it rolls out a new real-time voting system, slated to make its debut Tuesday night. 

The new voting system will officially kick off with Star Search, a reboot of the classic 1990’s TV talent show, which is set to stream tonight on Netflix at 9 p.m. Eastern time. 

You’ll be able to vote on smart TVs, streaming players like Apple TV 4K devices, Amazon Fire TV sticks, and Roku players, as well as Netflix’s iOS and Android apps. One platform you won’t be able to cast votes on is the web, so if you plan on streaming over a web browser, be sure to have your phone ready with the Netflix mobile app fired up. 

The Netflix voting interface lets you give Star Search contestants anywhere from one to five stars. On a smart TV, you’ll be able to vote with the remote, while you can tap to vote on the Netflix mobile app. 

There will be multiple chances to vote during each Star Search episode, Netflix says, and the votes will determine which contestants appear in the finale. Subsequent episodes of Star Search are set to air on Tuesdays and Wednesday nights, so tonight won’t be your only chance to vote. 

Unlike traditional TV shows like American Idol, where you had to wait until the next week’s broadcast to find out how the voting went, the results for Star Search on Netflix will be revealed during the show itself. 

Netflix first began testing real-time voting late last year during Dinner Time Live with David Chang, with the streamer promising that Star Search won’t be the last time its new live voting interface will make an appearance. 

Netflix has long dabbled in interactive shows, most notably with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a special episode of the series that let viewers make decisions on the behalf of the main character. 

Other Netflix shows and specials that employed similar interactive functionality included Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal, Minecraft: Story Mode, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, and The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You.