#NewAgeEntertainment: In India, Netflix ramped up faster than anywhere else
Streaming service Netflix has ramped up its content in India faster than anywhere else in the world, doubling its catalog since 2016 when it entered the market and working towards higher growth, says a Senior Executive of the company. The goal is to tell "authentic Indian stories" on a world platform, says Simran Sethi, Director Creative, International Originals, Netflix. Here are more details.
Netflix has diversified its content, including 'Sacred Games', its first Original Series in India, and its latest 'Ghoul' as well as films such as 'Lust Stories'. The Indian content seems to have exploded but Sethi says they have been working on it for a while. Meanwhile, Sethi was noncommittal about the second season of 'Sacred Games', based on the book by Vikram Chandra.
"We don't give out numbers but we were very happy with the response to 'Sacred Games' internationally. The reviews have been fantastic from critics and fans. We are very bullish about the response. The excitement and fandom is very encouraging," Sethi says.
Coincidentally, Netflix's other major upcoming projects are also rooted in literature like 'Selection Day' (Arvind Adiga), 'Bard of Blood' (Bilal Siddiqi) and a prequel to 'Baahubali'. "It is by chance that most of them happen to be book adaptations. It is not a strategic choice," Sethi says. "'Ghoul' is a completely original idea based on a folklore," she adds.
Asked about the competition with Hot Star, Amazon Prime Video, and homegrown OTT (over the top) platforms, Sethi says, "We don't focus on that too much, we focus on the consumer." "We try to think first and foremost about our members and giving them top Indian, global, and Hollywood content to watch whenever they want to watch," she adds.
