Netflix Planning to Double Its Original Content

Netflix has quite an array of original content for fans to choose from, but it sounds like that could soon be the tip of the iceberg.

A new study by Ampere Analysis (via The Hollywood Reporter) revealed that Netflix is aiming to more than double its number of original movies and television shows. The study revealed that Netflix is planning to commission more than 250 new pieces of content, which would more than double the 229 Netflix originals that are currently available.

By comparison, Amazon Prime Video currently has 105 original series, as well as a similar number of commissions.

According to Ampere, these new Netflix commissions will be more genre-based, as a way to “maintaining [a] focus on the youth-skewing genres of comedy and sci-fi, which have a track record of success for the company.” Only 17% of Netflix’s upcoming original content will be classified as drama series, compared to Amazon’s 29%.

For those who have been keeping up with Netflix’s upcoming original series – at least, those with ties to the comic book and sci-fi realm – this probably isn’t too much of a surprise. The company has quite a lot of geek-related adaptations planned, including Locke & Key, The Umbrella Academy, Jupiter’s Legacy, and (most recently) Avatar: The Last Airbender. Amazon has a few nerdy original series planned as well, including The Boys, Invincible, Transhuman, East of West, Galaxy Quest, The Dark Tower, and a prequel series for The Lord of the Rings.

But considering the recent trends around Netflix – and the streaming world as a whole – this doubling of original content does make sense. YouTube, Apple, and Facebook have all begun to get into the original content game, with a combination of 65 upcoming original titles between them. Disney’s as-yet-untitled service will be bringing 19 new original series, while the newly-launched DC Universe has announced six so far.

“All the major players have been expanding the number of original commissions in the face of an increasingly competitive market,” Richard Cooper, an analyst at Ampere, explained in the report. “What’s interesting is the different audience profile that each of the [services] appear to be targeting with their originals content, suggesting they’re aiming at different niches within the SVOD market.”

What do you think of Netflix’s plans to double their original content? Let us know what you think in the comments below!