Netflix Originals Now Make Up 55% of Total Library, but Will Labor Strife Derail Goal of 75% by End of 2024?
Netflix Originals Now Make Up 55% of Total Library, but Will Labor Strife Derail Goal of 75% by End of 2024?
As Netflix celebrates 10 years of producing original programming, its subscribers are continuing to see the effects of a decade of that investment and programming push. New data from the streamer as reported by What's On Netflix shows that 55% of its total library is now made up of Netflix original series and movies in the United States, climbing 5% from last year’s totals.
Of its over 6,600 movies, series, specials, and more, over 3,600 of those are original titles, including everything from Martin Scorcese’s “The Irishman” to John Mulaney’s “Baby J.” Its international libraries are similar but still less than in the U.S. In the United Kingdom, the library consists of 45% originals, and in Canada and Australia, both come in at just over 50%.
The streamer is on a steady climb at the moment in terms of its originals. Last year, The Streamable reported the number of original and exclusive titles made up a majority of the U.S. library for the first time in its then-nine-year history, jumping up to 50.7% from 2021’s 40%. The trajectory puts it on track for 75% originals by the end of 2024. However, as the streaming industry has changed significantly over the past year, perhaps that percentage is no longer possible.
Currently, it’s hard to tell exactly where building its original programming falls in Netflix’s priorities, considering it recently licensed new titles from Warner Bros. Discovery in a surprising non-exclusive deal for HBO original series to also live on Netflix, including “Insecure” and others to be named later.
Netflix comes second among major services for a percentage of original programming after Apple TV+, which has a significantly smaller library. However, Netflix’s users are still much more drawn to its licensed content than the originals. A report last month showed that in the first three months of 2023, just 35.6% of viewing time in the U.S. was spent watching Netflix original movies and series, but the streamer also had a slow start to 2023 in terms of releases. Its viewership numbers are driven by its major series, such as “The Witcher,” “Black Mirror,” “Wednesday,” and of course, its flagship “Stranger Things,” and only now midway through the year are any of its most popular series releasing new episodes.
Right now, though, like every major studio and platform, Netflix has more to contend with than just its library numbers. As of midnight, contract negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have failed and as the guild’s national board meets Thursday morning, a strike is imminent, making it the first actors strike against the industry since 1980. There is also no end in sight for the Writer’s Strike, with studios allegedly planning to hold off a deal until the fall or until the writers can no longer afford to continue — whichever comes first. So until a deal does happen and writers and actors feel that they are getting fair pay, Netflix may not have anybody to create original programming with for a while.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.