Netflix Unveils 17 New Originals from Asia
Netflix plans to make 17 more original productions in Asia including Thai and Chinese language shows, as the U.S. firm seeks to attract new international users through more local content.
In a content showcase today in Singaphore, "See What’s Next: Asia," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, as well as performers and creators from Netflix series and films, unveiled 17 new Asian original productions from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, India and South Korea.
These projects join 100 new and returning originals across eight countries in Asia through 2019 as Netflix increases its investment in Asian storytellers.
"Asia is home to the world's great creative centers producing some of the most compelling films and series of today," said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. "The beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world. More than half of Asian content hours viewed on Netflix this year are viewed outside the region, so we have confidence that our upcoming slate of Asian productions will find fans in their home countries and abroad."
Netflix reported bumper quarterly earnings last month as it exceeded forecasts in both the U.S. and international markets, with the bulk of new subscribers coming from outside the United States where the company has been investing aggressively.
The titles announced today will join a library of Asian, Hollywood and international content on Netflix.
At teh event, the company said the new productions will include anime series such as Trese, based on a Philippine graphic novel of the same name, and Pacific Rim, an adventure story about two siblings searching for their missing parents.
Netflix will make two Thai language originals including Shimmers, a drama series about five teenagers at an isolated school in northern Thailand. It will also broadcast Triad Princess, a Chinese-language original from Taiwan in which the protagonist seeks independence in defiance of her Triad father.
The firm had 137 million subscribers to its movie and TV streaming service worldwide as of September-end. It began releasing original English-language programing nearly six years ago and has since expanded into other languages.