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Non-English Programming On The Rise on Netflix - Executive Responds

Kelly Luegenbiehl told TV industry professionals at a conference in London. “It opens up a world of unscripted doc series, sketch comedy, stand-up, kids’ [content], live-actions kids’ [content],” Luegenbiehl said. “When we think about non-English-language content, this is just the beginning.”

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English language. Still the most universally viable language, especially when it comes to watching feature presentations from all over the world. Streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others have been pushing the global reach of some shows over the years with audio-dubbing in English in order to make it more accessible to everyone.

Lately, there has also been a massive push on non-English programming and no one better than Netflix to being the flag-bearer of the same. The streamer's success with Germany's Dark, Denmark's The Rain and others, the streamer is looking to go deep into foreign-language drama and other genres. 

Kelly Luegenbiehl told TV industry professionals at a conference in London. “It opens up a world of unscripted doc series, sketch comedy, stand-up, kids’ [content], live-actions kids’ [content],” Luegenbiehl said. “When we think about non-English-language content, this is just the beginning.”

Following on from Black Mirror interactive installment Bandersnatch, Luegenbiehl said Netflix is “starting to look at what the first interactive series in the non-English language would be.”

When asked why so many shows skew young, she said Netflix does not collect age information from its subscribers or target specific age groups, but the company can see what works on its platform and program accordingly. A third original – an unspecified female-led drama – will be coming out of South Africa, and a pair of originals from Nigeria, Luegenbiehl said, adding that she wanted a show out of Kenya. There is also an original coming out of Egypt, the first from the country. Quizzed on shows she liked from the international market, she cited Sky and HBO series Chernobyl, noting that if it had been a Netflix show, it would have been made in Russian.

Answering a producer concern that, as Netflix sets up studios, it will start to become a closed shop and make its own originals in-house, Luegenbiehl said that “we don’t have to do that” and that the company prefers to work with the best producers rather than take production in-house.

“‘The Witcher’ is an exception,” she added. “We always ask who is the partner and could we do it better, and the answer is almost always no.”

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