“This doesn’t make me change my mind at all,” Netflix manager Bela Bajaria, who is responsible for content, told reporters. The service sees the catalog titles from other studios as a supplement to its own program.
In recent years, Hollywood studios have tried to keep their films and series exclusive to their own streaming services. This should entice viewers to subscribe. The calculation only worked to a limited extent. Most of Netflix’s streaming competitors are in the red – even if Disney+, for example, gained millions of users thanks to expensive “Star Wars” and Marvel series. However, Netflix remains number 1 in streaming with around 260 million customer households.
A turning point is emerging
There have recently been signs of a change in the behavior of some Hollywood studios given the financial situation of their streaming offerings and the continued dominance of Netflix. They are again ready to show more series and films on the market leader, where they can find many viewers. The series “Suits,” which actually ended years ago, recently became a surprise hit again on Netflix.
Industry observers wondered whether Netflix would use this situation to take fewer risks by investing in its own programming with its annual content budget of around $17 billion. But Bajaria now rejected the idea. She calculated that the most recent exclusive deal with the American wrestling league WWE only tied up a small part of the expenses. Three hours of live broadcasts a week – that corresponds to the cost of “a few films and a series or a few series and a film”.
At the same time, Bajaria showed little interest in showing more films produced by Netflix in cinemas. The service will always remain focused on its customers finding films that interest them on the Netflix platform, she said when announcing highlights of Netflix’s 2024 lineup on Thursday. According to media reports, the outgoing Netflix film boss Scott Stuber is said to have pushed for more films to be released in cinemas in recent years.
