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New data shows how heavily Netflix is leaning into international TV shows, especially in its upcoming projects

Feb 25, 2021, 02:19 IST
Business Insider
Omar Sy stars in "Lupin."Emmanuel Guimier/Netflix
  • Netflix has ramped up its output of international originals as its grows its global subscriber base.
  • New data shows that the majority of Netflix-branded acquired content is from outside the US.
  • The data also suggests Netflix's international strategy is more developed in TV than film.
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Netflix has ramped up its output of international originals as the streaming giant grows its subscriber base across the world.

The company now has more than 200 million subscribers globally, 67 million of which are in the US. It's grown in part by producing or acquiring projects outside of the US and it will continue to do so as more streaming competitors emerge, from Disney Plus to HBO Max, and try to grow their own international footprints.

Disney, for its part, is taking a page from Netflix's book by commissioning European originals for Disney Plus and Star, its general-entertainment service that launched in some international markets on Tuesday. It marks a telling shift in strategy for the company as it grows it streaming business.

Netflix's originals fall into two main categories: titles commissioned, produced, or funded by the streamer, and those acquired from other distributors.

"Commissioning content from local hubs gives Netflix a springboard into non-US markets as that becomes an increasingly bigger customer base," said Ed Border, a research director at the firm Ampere Analysis.

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Ampere Analysis provided Insider data on Netflix's international content compared to its US content. It suggests that Netflix's international efforts are more rooted in acquired originals. Those it produces itself are still majority US-based.

The data also shows that TV is where Netflix's international footprint has grown the most (versus movies). The majority of upcoming original TV shows that Netflix has announced are international series.

This could be because Netflix's TV strategy is further along than its movie strategy. As of last month, there were 790 original TV shows on Netflix, up from 520 at the same point in 2020, according to the streaming search engine Reelgood. Netflix doesn't release as many original movies, though it said it will release at least one new movie every week this year.

In total, accounting for both original TV shows and movies, exactly half of upcoming projects are US-based and half are international, according to Ampere Analysis.

Here's how the data breaks down:

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Movies and TV shows commissioned, produced, or funded by Netflix:

  • 60% US/40% international

Movies and TV shows acquired from other distributors and branded as Netflix originals:

  • 48% US/52% international

Upcoming originals that Netflix has announced for the next two-to-three years:

  • TV shows - 37% US/63% international
  • Movies - 62% US/38% international
  • Total - 50% US/50% international

One of the most recent examples of an international Netflix hit is the French series "Lupin," which is Netflix's third biggest series of all time, behind "Bridgerton" and "The Witcher."

The Spanish series "Money Heist" is another international Netflix hit and season four is Netflix's fourth biggest TV debut ever. It's so popular that Netflix is developing a Korean version of the series.

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