With nearly 150 million subscribers around the world, Netflix has a commanding lead in the streaming wars. But it’s also facing heavy competition from deep-pocketed conglomerates like Disney, Apple, and AT&T, and an ongoing wave of narrow, targeted streaming sites like CBS All Access and DC Universe, which can draw on popular existing franchises for original content. As fewer companies are willing to license out their films and shows to other streaming sites, Netflix is pouring billions of dollars annually into its own original content. Follow along with The Verge as we look at Netflix’s new films and shows, its evolving strategies against new entrants in the market, and how it’s leveraging its technological and marketing lead.
Netflix only released the Sony-animated K-Pop Demon Hunters movie two weeks ago, but its catchy soundtrack is already beating out established K-pop artists in the US. “Your Idol” by the Saja Boys — the movie’s villainous and entirely fictional boy band backed by some respected voices — hit No.2 on the US Spotify chart Thursday, dethroning BTS as the highest-charting K-pop band in US Spotify history.
Following its theatrical preview earlier this summer, the second of Science Saru’s Dan Da Dan adaptation is finally streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, and a few other streaming platforms depending on which territory you live in. You can also check out the new season’s opening and closing credits sequences on YouTube.
The streaming service has considered working with Spotify on “a number of projects such as music awards or a live concert series,” according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Netflix has also reportedly weighed airing celebrity interviews and documentaries about recent events.
The streamer has already started to build out its library with original, unscripted shows, which include its upcoming Star Search reboot, Building the Band, Love Is Blind, and the newly announced What’s in the Box with Neil Patrick Harris.
Netflix’s Squid Game: Unleashed, previously a mobile exclusive game, is coming to Chromebooks (and Android tablets) in the “coming weeks,” Google says. “You’ll be able to experience immersive gameplay on a bigger screen, with keyboard and mouse support, updated control layouts and graphics that take full advantage of your device’s display.”
Streaming platforms might be having a hard time bringing on new subscribers, but according to Nielsen’s most recent Gauge report, services like YouTube, Pluto TV, Roku, and Tubi overtook traditional broadcast TV and cable in terms of viewership for the first time last month.
Those are a few of the series and movies you can expect to hear — and see — more about at Netflix’s Tudum live event this evening. It kicks off at 8PM ET, and this time it’ll be streaming on Netflix itself as part of the company’s ongoing push into live programming.
This “special announcement” teaser for the upcoming second season of Netflix’s One Piece adaptation could just be a reminder that new episodes are on the way, but it (and all the little hoof prints at the end) are probably a sign that we can expect to hear new details about the show at this year’s Tudum event.
“They asked if we could use Tim Cook instead, and we said no,” Seth Rogen, who serves as co-creator, writer, director, executive producer, and the star of the show, said to Business Insider. The show’s eighth episode did feature Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who played himself.
Tim Cook did get the Severance treatment, at least.
Netflix’s Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim, on a call with reporters:
We’re monitoring that situation very closely, and we don’t have anything more to share at this time. But we’ll just continue to abide by the App Store policies until we hear more about how to best implement any changes going forward.
Spotify and Patreon have already made moves to take advantage of the changes required of Apple by the ruling.
Long Story Short, the new animated series from BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has a premiere date: it’ll be streaming on Netflix on August 22nd. The series follows the story of a single family, but jumps around in time, letting you “follow the Schwooper siblings from childhood to adulthood and back again.” You can get a first glimpse at it in these images.
Co-writer / director Matt Palmer’s Fear Street: Prom Queen is the first of Netflix’s new trilogy of horror features inspired by R.L. Stine’s books, and the movie’s first trailer makes it look like it’ll be a teen-friendly (albeit R-rated) riff on classic slashers when it debuts on May 23rd.
During Semafor’s World Economy Summit, Sarandos said the company still has “enormous room to grow:”
In the previous five years, we’ve doubled our revenue, we grew profits 10 times, and we grew our market cap three times. So there is a path to it, obviously, but it all is incredibly dependent on executing well.
