The ‘Netflix Original’ and what it means for the production of European television content

Abstract

The European audiovisual market has unique contextual characteristics that constrain the sustainability and development of audiovisual content. Among other shifts, the rise of global subscription video-on-demand players like Netflix have been reshaping this market. Although Netflix has been investing in Europe, little is known about their actual investment strategies. This study’s goal is to analyse Netflix original investment in European scripted series and examine their implications for the European market. Based on a mapping of all European Netflix Originals, we identify four investment patterns. The analysis shows a significant uptake of Netflix investment, yet concurrently these reinforce existing discrepancies between large and small states in Europe.