You may have noticed that Netflix has gone absolutely wild over the past couple of years or so when it comes to creating original content. The streaming service is hellbent on creating a tempting subscription package by creating bucketloads of TV shows and movies that you literally cannot get anywhere else.
And they’re taking it in interesting directions. During an investor call, the company’s chief of content Ted Sarandos confirmed that Netflix is planning to pump out 30 original anime series for the platform, as well as 80 original films. When are these coming out, you might ask? All in 2018.
That is a lot of movies. In fact, as Sarandos laid out, Netflix is set on making a full 50 percent of their library original productions. That’s pretty ambitious – especially considering the fact that watching established Hollywood films and TV series is a core reason why anyone signs up for a streaming service. We’re not throwing our dollars down specifically to get Netflix and Stan original series – they’re the cherry on the top of a great library.
Elaborating on their strategy, Sarandos went on:
This past quarter we released eight original films. We plan on about 80 coming up next year. And they range anywhere from the million dollar Sundance [Film Festival] hit all the way up to something on a much larger scale, like we’re seeing on Bright, which will be at the end of this year and Irishman, which is with Martin Scorsese, that should be in early 2019.
Netflix has dipped its toe into anime productions in the past, with shows like Neo Yokio, and films like Bright. But 30 series is a pretty big commitment. They’ve also experimented with non-Japanese, anime-style productions like Castlevania.
They haven’t flagged whether all this cash getting pumped into original productions signals an increase in price in the near future. The United States got a price boost recently, and Australia was slugged with one back in June.
Look, whichever way you spin it, here’s the lowdown: there’s going to be more TV shows and movies on Netflix. That’s pretty cool.
