Netflix CCO announces plans to produce 17 original productions in Asia including shows in Chinese and Thai as it looks abroad for growth
Jonathan Weber, Aradhana Aravindan — * Firm seeing quicker subscriber growth outside U.S. — * To make 17 more original productions in Asia
Context & Ripple Effects
This announcement is the Asia leg of a playbook Netflix has been running since it committed to expanding into 200 countries and, under Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, shifted to producing shows locally for global audiences (the local-originals strategy). Earlier in 2018 the same logic produced a reported ~$1B slate across multiple European languages (the Europe originals spend); Asia is now getting the equivalent treatment with 17 productions in Chinese, Thai, and other local languages.
The timing matters because Netflix says subscriber growth outside the U.S. is already quicker than at home — and days after this announcement, execs floated experimenting with lower-priced subscriptions in lower-income countries. The bet is that local-language originals plus local pricing can unlock markets the U.S. model couldn't.
First-order effects
- Asian production ecosystems gain 17 commissioned originals, with Chinese- and Thai-language shows greenlit directly by Netflix's chief content officer rather than licensed from local broadcasters.
- Netflix's international subscriber base becomes the stated growth engine, with the company explicitly citing faster growth abroad than in the U.S.
Second-order effects
- Local and regional streaming services in Chinese- and Thai-speaking markets face a deep-pocketed competitor commissioning native-language exclusives, pressuring them toward their own originals or consolidation.
- Pricing follows content: the move pairs naturally with Netflix's plan to test cheaper subscription tiers in lower per-capita-income countries, changing what an Asian subscription costs relative to the U.S. price card.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, streaming economics restructure around local-language content spend as the primary subscriber-acquisition cost — though later coverage of Netflix's Asia push notes the counterweight: a crowded field of foreign and local services and strong viewer preference for local content (the 2022 Asia assessment), with APAC reaching only about 15% of subscribers even as Netflix doubles down there (the expanded APAC investment plan).
The trend: Streaming growth is migrating from saturated home markets to international local-language originals, with each region's slate size becoming the visible measure of platform commitment.