Netflix’s Chief of Content, Ted Sarandos, reckons the world is missing one big show and believes that Netflix may be the one to create it.
“What’s missing on the global stage is a really great scripted series about contemporary life in the Middle East,” Sarandos said at the Dubai International Film Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Most depictions outside of the Middle East are either historical or portray caricatures of what life in the Middle East would be.”
The company says it will also double its output of its own content to at least 31 series next year. As part of that may be a show that covers Middle Eastern life accurately, according to Sarandos. Netflix plans to launch in the Middle East before the end of 2016, as part of its international expansion strategy.
Sarandos also said that Netflix is in contact with local producers in the region, according to a recent report in the Hollywood Reporter. They also plan to run a series of content workshops in March next year.
The executive however didn’t really touch on the question of censorship that pervades the Middle East, especially in terms of sexual content – that may of course hinder the sort of show that he described. “We want to be good global citizens and observe local laws”, he said, adding that Internet regulation tends to be less restrictive compared with traditional TV and movies.
SOURCE: BusinessInsider.
Larry Banks is a keen follower of technology and finance. He has worked for a variety of online publications, writing about a diverse range of topics including mobile networks, patents, and Internet video delivery technologies.