iWorld
Original and exclusive content constitue Netflix’s entire US library
Mumbai: The number of original and exclusive titles in Netflix’s US catalogue accounted for more than 50 per cent of all available content for the first time in the company’s history in March 2022, according to a report.
Ampere’s Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) tracking data indicates that there are now over 3,700 original-branded (i.e. original and exclusive) movies and TV seasons in the Netflix US library, which has consistently offered around 7,000 titles over the last three years.
Among the major SVoD platforms, Netflix is second only to the much smaller Apple TV+ in its focus on original-branded content. It’s far ahead of fellow longstanding streaming incumbents Amazon Prime Video (9 per cent) and Hulu (4 per cent).
Netflix’s original content investment reached $6.2 billion in 2021. Originals have been a major focus of Netflix’s content strategy. In September 2016, when originals and exclusives accounted for only 5 per cent of its US catalogue, the then CFO David Wells set a target of a 50/50 split between original and licensed titles within the next few years. This transition to the majority of original titles is a product of Netflix’s market-leading spending.
Content data shows that the group has outspent every other SVoD company on original content each year since 2013 and has consistently increased its yearly investment. Netflix’s original content spend peaked at $6.2 billion in 2021, more than double the next highest spender, Disney+, with $2.8 billion.
Netflix owns some of the most-watched SVoD content, including Bridgerton. Such investment has helped make Netflix a prominent distributor of popular content. Ampere’s proprietary Popularity score indicates that across Q1 2022, Netflix originals and exclusives accounted, on average, for 12 per cent of the 100 most popular titles available on SVoD in the US, the highest share of any SVoD platform.
Notable titles include the final season of crime series Ozark and the second season of period drama Bridgerton, which recently became the most-watched English-language TV series on Netflix.
Ampere Analysis analyst Joe Hall said, “Netflix’s increasing content self-sufficiency is necessary for today’s streaming market. The rise of studio-led direct-to-consumer platforms has led to a shrinking pool of licensable content as studios prefer to keep productions in-house. Original content also allows platforms to offer exclusive titles internationally without additional licensing costs. This is particularly important as Netflix sets its sight on acquiring more international subscribers to compensate for maturity in developed markets.”
75 percent of titles on Netflix will be original or exclusive by the end of 2024. Under current growth rates, Ampere estimates that 75 per cent of the movies and TV seasons available on Netflix will be either originals or exclusives by the end of 2024.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
