Netflix and Amazon returned to dominance in commissioning of original content worldwide, in the first quarter of this year, says researchnand consultancy firm Ampere Analysis . The pair had been challenged in recent years by the launch of studio-backed SVoD platforms, but the studio players have cut back as a result of the Hollywood strikes, rising costs and pressure from Wall Street to prove that they can grow profitably. Ampere says that Netflix commissioned its highest number of new titles since the third quarter of 2021, andthat Amazon set a new record for its quarterly commissions.
The two streaming giants accounted for more than half (53%) of worldwide SVoD commissions between January and March. Ampere said that both Netflix and Amazon now order “the majority of their titles from outside the U.S.
,” as a result of market saturation in the U.S> and in line with their strategy of addressing local markets through local content. And it predicted this trend will continue.
Netflix’s commissioning growth focused on West European and Asia-Pacific titles, in particular. “In Q1 2024, Netflix’s Western European commissions almost achieved parity with North American titles for the first time,” Ampere said. “Netflix is seizing the opportunity for international growth, focusing on proven market providers of portable content such as Spain, India, and South Korea.
” Cost-effective, unscripted content featured heavily in the platform’s Western European commissions, with .
