Netflix Originals in Spain: Challenging diversity

Abstract

This article presents the results of an exploratory study about Netflix Originals in Spain in 2018 and 2019 from the point of view of the diversity supplied. Theoretically grounded in audiovisual diversity issues, it reflects upon the characteristics of Netflix’s audiovisual offerings, in general – organized through catalogues that are spatially and temporally defined – as well as upon the creation of Netflix Originals, in particular – a complex and key category in the functioning of the company that is fed by both self-produced and licenced titles. Results regarding the diversity of contents and of their country of origin are included, together with findings on the linguistic diversity attained through the subtitles and audio modalities available: original version, dubbing and audio-description.

Transnationalisation revisited through the Netflix Original: An analysis of investment strategies in Europe

“…As Netflix Originals are challenging boundaries and crossing borders, they are becoming increasingly cosmopolitan in nature, starting off as productions targeting local audiences, and opening up to foreign consumption, thus reaching the ‘space between cultures’ (Weissmann, 2012: 188) of transnational television. This is facilitated by a combination of factors, including the platform’s global reach and business strategy (Aguiar and Waldfogel, 2018), as well as the content’s transnational appeal, its aggressive promotion of premium offerings, and its dubbing and subtitling services (Albornoz and García Leiva, 2021; Lobato, 2019). Moreover, although investments in European content have notably grown over the years, recent research has shown that the volume of ‘original’ content produced outside of the US is still limited compared to US investments, pointing to Netflix’s transnationalisation strategy as a business endeavour meant to use localised content to penetrate new markets (Albornoz and García Leiva, 2021; Iordache, 2021).…”

“…Licenced deals do not involve direct financing from Netflix in the production stage, which makes the labelling of licenced content as ‘original’ more of a discursive strategy that often leads to confusion in production studies. Nevertheless, we believe these deals are relevant to transnational circulation and consumption, as their presence and prominence on the platform ensures the same higher chances of discoverability as original commissioned content (Albornoz and García Leiva, 2021).…”

Netflix in Mexico: An Example of the Tech Giant’s Transnational Business Strategies

“…However, apart from its streaming technology, as observed by international academic research, the tech company has innovative transnational strategies on two other fronts: (1) in terms of its glocalized content production-that is, its pursue for culturally and geographically diverse original production- (Jenner 2018;Lobato 2019;Lobato and Lotz 2020), and (2) with regard to its integration to national multi-platform distribution systems (Albornoz and García Leiva 2021;Wayne and Castro 2021). In other words, Netflix has adapted to national contexts, culture, and regulatory frameworks as well as to the use of local elements to appeal to global taste.…”

Platform nations

“…However, there are some indications that policy debates surrounding digital content in Latin America may be adopting a different tone. As Albornoz and García Leiva (2021) point out, several studies and commentators have raised concerns about the low presence of domestic content in the Latin American digital realm. For instance, one study raised concerns over the ‘foreign hegemony’ on Netflix, which ‘could put at risk the cultural identity of our countries and their socio‐cultural wealth’ (cited in Albornoz & García Leiva, 2021, p. 8), while the president of the Mexican Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences explicitly invoked ideals of national sovereignty and called for more domestic content on screen (cited in Albornoz & García Leiva, 2021, p. 9).…”