Netflix Wants to Premiere New Shows or New Seasons Every Three Weeks
Service Intends to Stream as Many as 20 Original Shows, Says Ted Sarandos
By Tim Peterson. Published on December 08, 2014.
'Marco Polo,' Netflix's latest big bet.
Netflix plans to seriously step up its original programming slate in the next few years.
Within five years Netflix would like to premiere a new original series or new season of an existing series every two-and-a-half weeks, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York on Monday.
To hit that cadence, Netflix will have to increase the number of original shows on its streaming video service. Right now Netflix has 9 original series, including the forthcoming "Marco Polo" and landmark "House of Cards," but it intends to ramp up to as many as 20, Mr. Sarandos said.
Netflix "will eventually be the largest producer of original content in the world," Mr. Sarandos said.
But it won't try to make each show interest as many of its 50.7 million subscribers as possible.
While the breakout hits "House of Cards" and "Orange Is the New Black" appeal to large swaths of Netflix viewers, for its next crop of original series Netflix is looking for shows that appeal to "specialized markets," Mr. Sarandos said. As an example, he cited Netflix's first original series, "Lillyhammer," which he said counts 65% of its audience in Norway.
Tim Peterson
Tim Peterson covers digital media for Advertising Age out of the publication's Los Angeles bureau. He previously reported on social media and ad tech for Adweek and worked as a reporter handling the digital marketing beat at Direct Marketing News.