Exclusive: Netflix eyes India scripted expansion as APAC spending predicted to rise

Class

Netflix is looking to boost its original South Indian language scripted output as new research suggests the streamer’s content spend across APAC could rise by 15% in the coming year.

The global operator has been ramping up its investment in Indian scripted content recently, with commissions including titles such as Class, a local adaptation of the Spanish series Elite, fact-based drama Scoop, comedy Kathal and crime thriller Guns & Gulaabs.

TBI understands it is now looking to grow its team further with the addition of an exec to help take programmes from the region to global audiences.

The manager of original series will help to build and execute its original slate strategy for South Indian productions, “for the world to watch,” Netflix said.

The exec will carry projects from a creative perspective from pitch and development through to final delivery, with a focus on a broad range of scripted programming from across a range of genres and South Indian languages.

Responsibilities will include establishing and growing strong partnerships with creative partners in the market to source and commission content. Netflix said that the role requires close working with showrunners, producers, writers and external creative teams to develop projects and “assess for long-term viability.”

Spending surge

The exec will join the content team headed up by Monika Shergill, VP of content at Netflix India, who serves as creative lead for the country, which is currently the streamer’s fastest-growing market.

Under Shergill‘s watch, Netflix has rapidly expanded its scripted offering, with Rana Naidu – an Indian remake of Showtime crime drama Ray Donovan, set to debut on the streamer in just a few days time.

A report released today by Media Partners Asia (MPA) predicted that Netflix’s APAC spend would rise by 15% to $1.9bn this year, while revenues will tick up by almost 12%.

Japan and Korea, along with Thailand, India and Indonesia, were picked out as a key revenue drivers for the streamer in 2023.

Indian movies have been among the most globally-streamed content on Netflix over the past year, while the MPA report picked out anime from Japan and Korean drama series as key drivers on the content side.