Amid reports of Netflix shaking up its subscription offerings and broadening its reach by investing abroad, the streaming giant is also looking to change the direction of its original content.
According to memos sent by the streamer to creators, the company is currently looking to develop the next “New Girl,” a female-led version of Amazon’s “Jack Ryan,” a fresh take on “The Voice,” and a whole lot more. The sourced documents are meant to help executives, writers, and producers develop pitches and provide an insight into the streamer’s current content desires and reveal what types of programming audiences can expect to see in the future.
According to the documents, Netflix is looking for big stories that can be told on a budget. The streaming giant is searching for content with a “wow factor” and have specifically asked for no “sad coms,” presumably short for “sad comedies.”
Netflix referenced both “Emily in Paris” and “Never Have I Ever” as examples of what production creators should strive for. According to the memos, the company is looking for content that can encourage a broad reach that will help them attract — and maintain — audiences from across demographics. Netflix is hoping that its theoretical spin on “The Voice” will attract the “TikTok generation.”
The streaming giant has told agencies that they are open to almost any type of story as long as it has a “hook.” Additionally, the company specifically mentioned they are looking for a “Gracie and Frankie” replacement that caters to an older audience that might otherwise be uncertain of subscribing or sticking with the streamer.
Former Netflix Director of Creative Leadership and Development for Original Animation Phil Rynda once told creators, “We want to be the home of everybody’s favorite show.”
The streamer’s co-CEO Reed Hastings has retooled that mantra saying, “We want to make what our audience wants to see.”
With a yearly budget of $18 billion reserved for content, it is interesting to see what the world’s largest streamer is prioritizing from creators. Rather than allowing artists to create the new, viral, binge-worthy show or movie for the service, it appears that Netflix wants to reverse-engeneer what it thinks audiences will want to watch. Will that work? Only time will tell.
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.