Netflix's local productions generated $2B, created 20,000 jobs in India
What's the story
Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, announced at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai, that the streaming giant's investment in local Indian productions has resulted in an economic impact of $2 billion between 2021 and 2024.
These initiatives also created around 20,000 jobs for cast and crew members in the country.
Sarandos emphasized Netflix's commitment to local storytelling during a discussion with Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
Global reach
Impact on global viewership and local economy
Sarandos revealed that in the last year, nearly three billion hours of Indian content were streamed on Netflix globally. This amounts to roughly 60 million hours per week.
He also emphasized that an Indian title made it to the company's global top 10 charts.
Since launching local productions with Sacred Games nearly seven years ago, Netflix has produced some 150 original films and series across 90 different cities in India.
Strategic importance
India: A key market for Netflix's future growth
Sarandos described India as being on the verge of a major transformation for storytellers, just like Squid Game was for Korea.
He noted India's increasing significance as a market for Netflix's future growth, given the increasing demand for digital content in the country, which has the world's second-largest internet user base.
In July 2024, Netflix named India as its second-largest market in terms of paid subscriber additions and third-largest in terms of revenue growth percentage.
Upcoming releases
Netflix's content slate for 2025
In February, Netflix announced its 2025 content slate, including six movies, 14 series, and five unscripted titles across genres like drama, action, romantic comedies, and thrillers.
The streaming service competes with JioHotstar, ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, as well as Apple TV+ in India.
Despite not revealing a country-wise breakdown of its paid member base or subscriber count in India specifically, Sarandos previously called the country a "big prize" owing to its large population of entertainment-loving people.