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Netflix's (NFLX) Solid International Content Aids User Growth

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Netflix (NFLX - Free Report) continues to expand its international content portfolio by adding popular films and shows of different regional languages as well as diversified content.

The company recently announced that Taiwan’s popular LGBTQ film Your Name Engraved Herein, which is produced by Arthur Chu (Chu Yu Ning) and directed by Patrick Liu, will be available on Netflix globally on Dec 23.

Markedly, at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, which is the most prestigious annual award for Chinese-language films, Your Name Engraved Herein received awards for Best Original Song and Best cinematography.

Netflix also announced that Torbaaz, starring Sanjay Dutt, will release on Dec 11. The movie is set in Afghanistan and narrates the story of “one man who rises above his personal tragedy and decides to transform the lives of few refugee camp kids who are on the path of destruction through the game of cricket.”

The streaming giant also announced its new Korean comedy film What Happened to Mr. Cha? that will be released globally on Jan 1, 2021.

The upcoming projects reflect the depth and diversity in Netflix’s international content portfolio that is expected to keep subscribers glued to its platform.
 

Netflix, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Netflix, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Netflix, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Netflix, Inc. Quote

 

Notably, in the past nine months, the company added 28.06 million subscribers globally, of which 22.65 million were international users. The huge subscriber addition was attributed to coronavirus-induced lockdowns that compelled people to stay at home, thereby increasing media consumption.

Nevertheless, Netflix’s endeavor to expand its content portfolio is expected to keep adding users although not at rate it witnessed due to the coronavirus-led shutdowns. Notably, since COVID-19-related shutdowns were lifted, the company has completed more than 50 productions and plans to complete another 150 by the end of the year.

 

Regional Content Strength to Keep Competition At Bay

Netflix continues to dominate the streaming space despite intensifying competition with the launch of new services from Disney (DIS - Free Report) , AT&T (T - Free Report) and Comcast (CMCSA - Free Report) division NBCUniversal.

Disney’s streaming service Disney+ has been the most prolific among these, adding 73.7 million paid subscribers (as of Oct 3, 2020) in the past year.

Moreover, since its nationwide release on Jul 15, Comcast’s Peacock witnessed 22 million sign-ups. HBO Max also surpassed AT&T’s estimate and had 38 million subscribers at the end of third-quarter 2020.

Nevertheless, Netflix is well-ahead of competition due to its expanding regional content portfolio. Markedly, Mexican show Oscuro Deseo (Dark Desire) season 1 was its biggest local-language original globally. Indian Matchmaking also witnessed healthy viewership.

Further, third-quarter results reflected that this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s low-priced mobile plans in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand is helping it win users in Asia-Pacific, which is a positive for its prospects. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Netflix Gaining Traction in Asia-Pacific

Netflix is working on several projects in Asia-Pacific. The company has already announced its second Thai original series - Bangkok Breaking- an action-thriller drama.

The company has also expanded its catalog of Filipino content based on partnership with prominent film studios in the Philippines like Viva, ABS-CBN, TBA Studios, Regal Film, The Idea First Company, Globe Studios, Mavx Productions and others.

New films like The Hows of Us, Hello, Love, Goodbye, and Alone/Together are set to appear on Netflix due to its renewed and expanded partnership with ABS-CBN. Other notable movies are Alter Me and Finding Agnes. The company is also set to release its first Filipino animated feature - HayopKa! The Nimfa Dimaano Story.

Moreover, in order to attract more Indian viewers to the platform, the company is hosting StreamFest, an entire weekend (Dec 5 12.01am - Dec. 6 11.59pm) of free Netflix. Moreover, its reality show Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives is set to debut on Nov 27.

Markedly, Asia-Pacific accounted only 9.9% of Netflix’s third-quarter 2020 revenues but jumped 66.2% year over year to $635 million.

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