Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, announced this week at the UBS Media Conference that 2016 would see 31 original scripted series under the Netflix banner, up from 16 in 2015. In addition to that lofty goal, the streaming service is also planning to release 10 feature films, 12 documentaries, and 10 stand-up comedy specials next year, and is expanding into the children's programming market in a big way: Netflix plans to soon offer 30 different series for kids.
"It's not just a lot of volume," Sarandos told the UBS crowd of the expansion plan. "This is quality stuff."
That's certainly proven true in recent months, with an Emmy win for "Orange Is the New Black" star Uzo Aduba, critical praise for new series "Jessica Jones" and "Master of None," and Oscar buzz -- and lots of Independent Spirit Awards nominations -- for Netflix's first feature film, "Beasts of No Nation." It's also announced partnerships with big-name talent including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Adam Sandler, who are all bringing exclusive films to the service, as well as serving as the the next home of comedian Chelsea Handler.
And with plans to expand its reach from more than 80 countries to at least 200 by the end of 2016, having lots of original content will certainly help when tricky rights management issues for non-Netflix series arise. Netflix hopes to create a global audience for its service, Sarandos said, and if it can't do that with shows from other networks, then it hopes its own series can stand in for -- and stand up to -- that content.
Sounds like there will be lots to explore next year when we're in the middle of a weekend binge-watching session. Bring it on.
[via: Business Insider, Wired]
Photo credit: JoJo Whilden for Netflix
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