Netflix is preparing to more than double its number of originals, study shows

Netflix on laptop screen.
(Image credit: wutwhanfoto/ iStock)

It looks like Netflix's barrage of content won't be slowing down anytime soon.

Per entertainment analysis firm Ampere Analysis, Netflix currently has over 250 originals planned. That means there are more new projects on the way than have been released to date, per The Hollywood Reporter. Thus far, the streaming giant has put out 229 original shows.

In addition, the study shows that Netflix is continuing to focus on original sci-fi and comedy shows, as these genres both appeal to a younger audience. About 17 percent of the originals in the works are dramas, the study concludes; by contrast, that number is 29 percent for Amazon.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Part of the reason Netflix has ramped up its original production so significantly is that it now must compete with several new rival streaming services that did not exist a few years ago. Disney, for instance, has hosted content on Netflix since 2016. But in 2019, it will pull much of its library and take it to a streaming platform of its own.

Netflix, no longer as able to rely on other companies' content, must ensure that its own shows are enough to keep subscribers on board. As top Netflix executive Ted Sarandos put it in 2013: "The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.