Hop on any of the major streaming services today, and you’ll be greeted by a selection of content that’s not from the USA, not from North America, and not from the global Anglosphere. It’s never been easier to access and enjoy content from all over the world, but why exactly is there so much “foreign” content on streaming services?
It turns out there isn’t just one clear answer, but several factors that make non-English content from distant shores more likely to land on your feed.
The Streaming Landscape Has Gone Global
In case you haven’t noticed, streaming is rather popular all over the world. While a good chunk of our planet doesn’t yet have fast enough internet for decent video streaming, the half that does get good internet loves streaming services. Since companies like Netlflix operate in so many countries, they need to offer some local content on the platform as well.
There are plenty of untapped markets beyond the borders of the US, so offering local content wherever possible helps grow the subscriber base. The thing is, if you’re negotiating for the right to stream that content, it might not be that much more expensive to get global streaming rights. Once you have that, why not let all the subscribers in your other markets gain access?
Now we have a wonderful situation where global subscribers of streaming services end up as part of a coincidental cultural exchange. It also helps that the quality of international productions have gone up considerably. In the past there was defintiely a gap in the production quality of shows and movies made outside of Hollywood’s financial grip, but now beautiful cinematography and cutting-edge special effects aren’t just the domain of US creators.
Unexpected Global Breakouts Change the Math
Hits like Squid Game, Money Heist, and Dark prove that non-English shows can dominate worldwide. In the past, there may have been an assumption that US audiences didn’t want to read subtitles, or won’t watch foreign shows without localizations. Don’t forget that they made special American versions of shows like The Office, where the original was already in English!
It turns out, a Korean horror or soap opera can grab an English-speaking North American audience just as hard a the local audience it was made for. According to Netflix, half of its subscribers watch Japanese anime. Whether the assumptions were always wrong, or it’s that newer generations are more open to it, the money people can now clearly see it’s worth looking beyond their borders for content.
It’s Cheaper (and Smarter) Than Hollywood Blockbusters
Producing in South Korea, Spain, or Turkey often costs less than U.S. equivalents. Of course, US-made films are often shot in parts of the world with tax breaks or cheaper labor, but with an even wider selection of production locations to choose from, the savings can be profound.
Also, it’s worth remembering that if you’re entertained for 30 minutes, it doesn’t matter how expensive that 30 minutes of content was to make. A modestly budgeted foreign drama can outperform a mid-budget U.S. series. It costs less, but keeps viewers hooked nonetheless.
It’s also a more sensible strategy to fund many smaller global productions, than one or two mega-expensive US shows or movies. It means more chances to have a hit, a wider spread over different genres, and beefing up the back-catalog with more hours of content.
The Future Is a Truly Borderless TV Market
Personally, I’ve always loved watching TV series and movies from all over the world. I much prefer the original Äkta människor to the English remake Real Humans, for example. These days, with subtitles (that are often wrong, but hey) and dubbing, there’s no good reason to avoid something just because it’s from the non-English parts of Europe, Asia, or anywhere else for that matter.
Technologies like AI-dubbing and AI-assisted translation will probably speed up how much foreign content makes it to your screen, and that means the next big pop culture hit could come from anywhere. It wasn’t too long ago that we were all grooving to Gangnam Style, after all.
