The US internet TV group has invested $1.8bn into licensed, original and co-productions in Europe since 2012, and will continue to spend more on new shows this year. These will include two productions with the BBC; Troy: Fall of a City and Black Earth Rising, and a third new series,
The Spy, which will be co-produced and released on French cable network Canal Plus. The company is also pushing ahead with plans to bring Netflix to TV set top boxes with operators in Europe. “We have integrated Netflix with operators like Orange, Vodafone, Liberty Global and BT, signed a deal with Telenor to bring Netflix to their box. Today, we are bringing Netflix in Germany to Unitymedia subscribers,” said chief executive Reed Hastings in Berlin. Netflix’s announcement comes on the back of EU pressure on on-demand services to invest more in local content and productions.
Last year the EU revealed plans that could force internet TV providers, including Netflix and Amazon, to devote “at least” 20 per cent of their catalogues to European films and TV shows, as part of an overhaul of broadcasting rules. The negotiations are continuing, with MEPs trying to push the minimum to 30 per cent, according to people close to the discussions. The law would also require promotion of European content on web services’ homepages.
Salminen explained that though its U.S. catalog may be shrinking, that’s not the company’s strategy elsewhere. In April 2016, his site reported some interesting numbers. For instance, Netflix’s Canadian library had grown from 3,021 television and film titles to 3,365 since January 2014. The numbers in Great Britain were somewhat similar with an increase of 254 titles since 2014 with a growth from 2,739 to 2,993 titles.
“Entertainment is a truly global phenomenon and it’s smart for Netflix to expand its scope and world view into Europe,” said Dergarabedian. “The original content that Netflix is creating has relevance and appeal the world over and much like the shift toward a more global focus on the big screen theatrical side of the business by the major studios, small screen providers likewise have a vested interest in grabbing audiences no matter where they reside on the planet.”