Netflix Non-English Content Viewing Surges 30%... 'The Power of Translation' Changes the Landscape of the U.S. Streaming Market

The viewership of non-English content on Netflix has surged by 30% over the past 7 weeks, once again proving the power of 'translated content' in the global streaming market. In particular, the openness of American viewers to subtitle content has significantly increased, leading to changes in global content consumption patterns.

According to the latest analysis from NextTV, the viewing time of Netflix's top non-English TV series has increased by 30% compared to the same period last year since June 1. Even more surprising is that the total viewing time for non-English films has increased by about 20%.

Notably, Netflix's international series now account for over 43% of total series viewing time. This is in stark contrast to just 20% during the same period last year.

The background of this change includes a shortage of English content supply due to the writers' guild strike in the U.S. and Netflix's aggressive international content marketing strategy. Following the unprecedented success of 'Squid Game' in 2021, Netflix has reduced its investment in original productions in the U.S. and is investing more capital in overseas productions, including those in South Korea.

In fact, Netflix is currently investing $2.5 billion annually in the South Korean film and TV production industry, which is five times the amount compared to 2016. As these strategic investments bear fruit, content from various countries is achieving global hits.

Particularly noteworthy works include the Spanish melodrama 'The Surrogacy' produced in Mexico, which recorded 80 million viewing hours during the week of June 19-25, nearly matching the performance of Chris Hemsworth's 'Extraction 2'. Additionally, Colombia's romantic thriller 'Fake Profile' recorded 76 million viewing hours in early June, almost catching up to Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'FUBAR' in its second week performance.

The continued strength of Korean content is also remarkable. The Korean romantic comedy series 'King the Land' recorded 65.1 million viewing hours, surpassing all other Netflix programs to take the top spot.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told investors last December, 'Netflix has proven that creating great shows anywhere in the world can lead to global success,' adding, 'Focusing on local markets is greatly benefiting us and enhancing our ability to select projects that can succeed globally.'

Industry experts predict that this trend is not just a temporary phenomenon but will become the new normal in the streaming era. In particular, with advancements in translation technology and improvements in subtitle quality lowering language barriers, global distribution of content is expected to become even more active.