What’s good for Netflix is… good for the world?
In January 2016, the streaming giant expanded its service to an additional 130 countries and territories, reaching more than 190 overnight. Now it’s touting the economic impact and cultural influence the company claims to have generated in the 10 years since then.
According to Netflix, over the last decade, it has invested more than $135 billion in films and series — which have contributed a total of more than $325 billion to the global economy. Those productions created more than 425,000 jobs plus over 700,000 additional extras and day workers, the company claims.
To detail its global clout, the company has launched “The Netflix Effect,” a new interactive site at thenetflixeffect.com. In a blog post Tuesday, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said it’s “a comprehensive look at the economic, cultural and social impact of our films and series, and how it ripples out across economies, industries and everyday life, day after day, week after week.”
Of course, this information is all according to Netflix itself; the claims haven’t been verified by an independent party.
By boasting about “The Netflix Effect,” the company wants to show how its tentacles extend all across the globe — and that it plans to continue spending heavily on TV shows and movies worldwide. In 2026, Netflix projects cash content spending of $20 billion, up 10% year over year.
“Now we have a responsibility to keep that flywheel going,” Sarandos wrote in the blog post. “That’s why, while other entertainment companies pull back, we’re leaning in — spending tens of billions of dollars on content every year, investing in production facilities from Spain to New Jersey, and growing the entertainment industry through training programs that have reached over 90,000 people across more than 75 countries.”
Here are data points the company is highlighting in “The Netflix Effect”:
- Netflix shows and movies have been produced in more than 4,500 cities and towns in more than 50 countries
- The company has worked with over 2,000 production companies worldwide
- Netflix has licensed films and series from more than 3,000 companies, including public broadcasters; licensed content represents about 75% of its total titles
- Over the past five years, Netflix has organized more than 1,000 training programs and events bringing industry partners, educators and creatives together, reaching over 90,000 people across more than 75 countries
Netflix provided economic claims for several individual productions:
- “Stranger Things” supported over 8,000 jobs across its five-season run and contributed $1.4 billion to the U.S. economy. The crew included more than 200 stunt performers who worked on the final season alone. In addition, “Stranger Things” worked with over 3,800 vendors from nearly every state in the U.S.
- The four seasons of “The Lincoln Lawyer” have contributed over $425 million to the Californian economy and employed over 4,300 cast and crew. The show was filmed at over 50 different locations across Los Angeles, including Dodger Stadium and Grand Central Market.
- The 2024 movie “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” starring Eddie Murphy brought in $140 million to California’s economy, employing over 2,000 cast and crew and hiring 900-plus vendors.
- Western TV drama series “Ransom Canyon” in Albuquerque, N.M., has led to the creation of more than 700 local jobs.
And here are examples Netflix provided to show its effect on the cultural landscape:
- In 2023, “Suits” became the most popular streaming title in the U.S. for 12 consecutive weeks — 12 years after it first aired. To date the series has generated over 450 million views on Netflix.
- Non-English language titles represent more than one-third of all viewing on Netflix, compared with less than 10% a decade ago. The streamer’s films and series are dubbed in 36 languages, with subtitles in 33 languages.
- “KPop Demon Hunters” not only became Netflix’s most-popular original film of all time, it “created a cultural wave”: “Golden” earned the first-ever Grammy for a K-pop track, and the film took home two Oscars. Duolingo reported a 22% rise in Americans studying Korean, while flight bookings from the U.S. to South Korea reportedly rose 25%.
- After seeing a new place in a movie or TV show, people are 2.4 times more likely to say that country is their new top travel destination. As an example, 38% of tourists mentioned Netflix’s “Emily in Paris” as one of their motivations for visiting Paris.
Source: variety.com
