Less than 50% of Netflix’s Content Library is American, Demonstrating Streamer’s Global Presence
Less than 50% of Netflix’s Content Library is American, Demonstrating Streamer’s Global Presence
The world’s largest streaming service has become a truly global entity, according to an exclusive report from Deadline. That report, which cites findings from media analyst Enders Analysis, shows that less than half of Netflix’s current content library comes from the United States, where the company is based.
The increase in internationally-produced content has come from some potentially unexpected sources. Spain was a much bigger source of TV in 2022 than it had been in 2021, rising from 64 hours of content to 123 last year. Japan also saw a big jump in content hours, spiking from 60 to 109.
Users minds might not jump to Spain as the source for their favorite Netflix series, but the Spanish-produced series “La Casa de Papel” (titled “Money Heist” in the U.S.) remains one of the service’s most popular non-English language shows of all time. Spain continued to enhance its presence on Netflix with shows like “The Girl in the Mirror” in 2022.
U.S. content not only makes up a smaller share of Netflix’s library than it had in 2021, it is also growing at a slower rate. Content produced domestically only grew by 5% in 2022 over its share in 2021, rising to 801 total hours.
American-made content is still the ruler on Netflix in terms of popularity, however. A recent survey found that on average, nearly 60% of shows appearing in global Netflix top-10 lists came from the U.S. That makes the U.S. by far the leader in terms the of most popular Netflix content, with second-place South Korea coming in as the origin of just 6.63% of series appearing in the top-10 lists.
Non-American shows may not crack top-10 lists as often as U.S. content does, but they’re still engaging new viewers at an impressive rate. Over 60% of Netflix's global customers watched a TV show or movie that originated in South Korea in 2022, and over 50% of its users watched Japanese anime in 2021.
Netflix has managed to make its content library a good reflection of its overall customer base. Some of its biggest hits, like “Wednesday” and “Stranger Things” are American-made, but its catalog has collected content from all over the world, and now reflects the truly global presence of the world’s largest streamer. As Netflix has seemingly reached a saturation point in the United States and is looking to grow its customer base internationally, continuing to add content from around the world is a good way to engage viewers in new and expanding markets.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”