Netflix to broaden UAE offerings

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Streaming giant Netflix is planning to broaden its content offering in the UAE. Soon subscribers in the region would be able to watch all the shows that Netflix currently showcases in the US and other geographies.
"Programming that is being shown in the US is going to be available to our valued subscribers in the UAE. We are spending around $5 billion on programming this year, and most of that will be spent on global programming. This means we will be bringing more and more titles to our services everywhere," Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, told Khaleej Times in an exclusive chat.
Netflix is investing massively on its original series that includes smash hits like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, among specials, miniseries and Academy Award-nominated movies like The Square. "A bulk of our revenue will be spent on bringing in new content as we make a lot of content available to our subscribers globally, including the UAE," Hastings added.
Presently available in 190 countries, the video-streaming service went live in the UAE earlier this year. The Netflix service offers a one-month free trial, after which viewers have a choice of three different prices, ranging from Dh30 to Dh44 a month, depending on factors like streaming quality and the number of screens one is able to watch the content on.
As Netflix continues to gather viewing tastes and preferences from its existing members globally, the streaming service is growing its offering gradually. "We aim to change the way TV is consumed around the world. Everyone pretty much everywhere should be able to see great shows and movies at exactly the same time. We have the technology in place," the Netflix head honcho noted.
As part of its global expansion Netflix is now available in Arabic, Korean and Chinese, taking the total number of languages supported to 21. "The idea is to tell great stories from around the world. We are currently making shows in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Japan, Italy, Mexico and the UK, and are looking forward to shows from the Arabic speaking world that have an appeal to a global audience," Hastings revealed.
Curiously the company's focus on original programmes has given it a firm upper hand when it comes to new viewership. According to the latest viewership figures available Netflix produced more original programming than HBO during the last one year. As against HBO's nearly 400 hours of original programming, Netflix streamed more than 450 hours of original content in 2015.
With those numbers in mind and an eye on the hugely lucrative Middle East market, Netflix expects to surpass 100 million subscribers globally by next year. The company's market cap has doubled from around $20 billion in January 2015 to $41 billion (April 2016). Comparatively, Time Warner (which owns HBO) is valued at $53 billion.
Netflix is all set to change the way we look at entertainment and TV. "The future is Internet TV. It is democratising. Netflix is a natural evolution from linear TV to internet TV - with a truly global outlook," Hastings concluded.
- sadiq@khaleejtimes.com