How Netflix Is Overlooking Colombian Content and Audiences
Despite Colombia’s significant presence on Netflix’s Global Top 10, the streaming giant continues to underinvest in the country’s original content. Based on a study published in the Convergence journal, this article explores the disparity between viewership and investment, revealing the broader implications for Latin American media.
As Netflix cements its position as a dominant global streaming service, its content strategy has been scrutinized, particularly in regions like Latin America. Despite boasting diverse cultures, languages, and histories, Latin American countries remain underrepresented in Netflix’s original content production, with Colombia being a prime example of this neglect. Colombian television content ranks fifth in viewing hours on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list, trailing only behind the United States, Korea, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Yet, despite this significant audience engagement, Netflix’s investment in Colombian content is disproportionately low compared to other Latin American nations like Brazil and Mexico. This article examines how Netflix’s content strategy in Latin America, particularly in Colombia, reveals broader trends in global media production and consumption and what this means for the future of Colombian television.
Colombia’s Strong Presence on Netflix’s Global Top 10
Colombian television has a long-standing tradition of producing popular telenovelas and series that resonate with domestic and international audiences. Colombian content accounts for most Latin American viewing hours on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list. However, a closer examination of this data reveals a striking pattern: most of these Colombian shows are not Netflix originals but licensed telenovelas originally broadcast years ago on local networks. These low-budget productions continue to captivate viewers, but Netflix’s response to this sustained popularity has been tepid at best.
This situation contrasts sharply with Netflix’s strategy in other Latin American countries. For instance, Mexico and Brazil have become regional powerhouses for Netflix’s original content production, with 88.3% of Netflix’s commissioned regional content coming from these two countries. The disparity in investment becomes even more apparent when Latin American subscribers represent 18% of Netflix’s global subscriber base. Yet, excluding co-productions with American companies, Latin American content only accounts for 9.4% of the total viewing hours on the platform’s Global Top 10 list. This raises critical questions about Netflix’s content strategy and its implications for the Colombian media industry.
The Economic Disparity Between Revenue and Investment
Latin America generated more than four billion dollars in revenue for Netflix in 2022, which accounts for nearly 13% of the company’s global revenue. Despite this substantial contribution, Netflix has not reciprocated with proportional investments in the region’s content production. Only 10% of Netflix’s commissioned series are produced in Latin America, and Colombia is particularly sidelined. The platform’s focus on Brazil and Mexico, the two largest media markets in the region, highlights a preference for investing in countries with higher purchasing power and larger consumer bases.
This economic disparity suggests that Netflix’s content investment strategy is driven more by market size and revenue potential than by actual audience engagement. Despite its popularity, Colombian content has not translated into significant investment, leaving the country’s media industry struggling to compete with its more affluent neighbors. This approach not only limits the diversity of content available to global audiences but also undermines the growth potential of the Colombian media industry.
Misrepresenting Colombian Content
One of the most significant insights from Netflix’s Global Top 10 data is the overwhelming dominance of telenovelas in Latin American content. Telenovelas are a staple of Latin American television, characterized by their melodramatic plots and extensive episode counts—often exceeding 150 episodes per series. While these shows contribute to the high viewing hours of Colombian content on Netflix, they also create a skewed perception of the region’s television industry.
The sheer volume of telenovela episodes inflates viewing hours, making it appear that Latin American content is more widely consumed than it might be. For example, Korean content on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list averages 11.2 million hours viewed of content streamed, compared to just 1.6 million hours per hour for Latin American telenovelas. This discrepancy suggests that while telenovelas have broad appeal, their contribution to the global content landscape is not as impactful as it might seem at first glance.
Moreover, the fact that 70% of the Global Top 10 viewing hours for Latin American telenovelas are directed towards licensed Colombian shows further highlights Netflix’s lack of investment in new, original content from the country. The reliance on licensed content, rather than commissioning new productions, indicates a missed opportunity to develop and promote fresh, innovative storytelling that reflects contemporary Colombian society.
Netflix’s content strategy in Latin America, specifically Colombia, reflects broader trends in the global media industry. The platform’s decision to prioritize investments in Brazil and Mexico underscores the economic realities of content production: larger markets with more robust media industries are more likely to attract investment. However, this approach overlooks smaller markets like Colombia’s cultural and creative potential, with a rich history of producing compelling and globally resonant content.
This situation also highlights a growing contradiction within Netflix’s global content strategy. While the platform markets itself as a champion of diverse voices and global storytelling, its investment patterns suggest otherwise. The dominance of content from a few key markets undermines the platform’s claims of promoting cultural diversity and perpetuates existing inequalities in the global media landscape.
In Latin America, this strategy risks reinforcing regional disparities and limiting the growth of smaller media markets. Without sufficient investment in local productions, countries like Colombia may struggle to maintain their cultural influence and continue producing content that resonates both locally and internationally.
The Future of Colombian Content on Netflix
Looking ahead, the future of Colombian content on Netflix appears uncertain. While the country’s telenovelas continue to perform well on the platform, there is little indication that Netflix plans to increase its investment in Colombian original content significantly. This lack of investment could have long-term consequences for the Colombian media industry, limiting its ability to innovate and compete globally.
To address this imbalance, Netflix would need to re-evaluate its content strategy in Latin America, considering market size, audience engagement, and cultural significance. By investing in a broader range of Latin American countries, Netflix could help to nurture diverse voices and stories that reflect the region’s rich cultural tapestry.
Moreover, Netflix could benefit from adopting a more nuanced approach to content production in Latin America, recognizing the unique strengths and challenges of different markets. For instance, Colombia’s strong storytelling tradition and well-established telenovela industry could be leveraged to produce high-quality original series that appeal to local and global audiences.
Netflix’s content strategy in Latin America, particularly in Colombia, reveals significant disparities between audience engagement and investment. Despite the strong performance of Colombian content on the platform’s Global Top 10 list, Netflix has largely ignored the country’s potential for original content production, focusing instead on larger markets like Brazil and Mexico. This approach not only limits the diversity of content available to global audiences but also undermines the growth potential of the Colombian media industry.
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As Netflix continues to expand its global reach, it must consider the long-term implications of its content investment strategy. By neglecting smaller markets like Colombia, the platform risks perpetuating existing inequalities in the global media landscape and missing out on the rich creative potential that these markets have to offer. To truly champion diverse voices and global storytelling, Netflix must invest more equitably across the Latin American region, supporting a broader range of content that reflects the region’s cultural diversity and resonates with audiences worldwide.
In doing so, Netflix could help to foster a more inclusive and dynamic global media ecosystem, where all voices have the opportunity to be heard and where the cultural richness of regions like Latin America can be fully realized.
