Netflix to double production of original series next year

“This is programming that people want to watch”, Sarandos said, noting that Netflix shows got nominations for Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe past year. Now, even though Sarandos isnt making comparisons with broadcast network juggernauts like Big Bang Theory and others, the ratings for cables biggest shows are easily comparable. Following the October release of its first original movie Beasts of No Nation-which has generated Oscar buzz for star Idris Elba and director Cary Fukunaga-Netflix is working on 10 different films for 2016.

Netflix plans to almost double the number of original shows it produces in 2016, delivering 31 original series compared with 16 in 2015.

“It’s something our studio partners are struggling with”, he said Monday.

This may seem like a slightly outrageous statement considering the amount of media exposure and crazed fans Game of Thrones has, yet his reasoning earlier on in the conference goes some way to explain just why Narcos is the most watched show in the world: its global appeal. Rapid global subscriber growth is vital for Netflix to offset ballooning content costs.

Asked about Netflix’s interest in sports, Sarandos said that sports often comes up because cable bills are high and the main reason many subscribers also subscribe to cable is for sports.

Sarandos did provide some anecdotal indications Netflix’s audience. Ansari previously appeared on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” for six years.

Despite the hurdle, Mr. Sarandos sounded a largely optimistic note about Netflix’s expansion, saying that the company has learned how to launch new territories more efficiently after a few years of doing business internationally.

“Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones“, two programs that derive from Disney’s Marvel universe of intellectual property, are “neck-and-neck” in terms of their viewing popularity on the site, he said.

Netflix also has 10 feature films in production or about to be released, 30 kids shows, 12 documentaries and 10 stand-up specials.

Sports will also remain the domain of live-video operations, not Netflix, he said. Another potential area of original content that Netflix may looking at is sports, as the company said today that while creating a sport league does remain an “interesting” idea, it is not a part of company’s core area.