Netflix bets big on original shows in 2016, and so deserves a song of their own

"Double down!", sayeth the Netflix bosses as the new year looms. The litany of plans for 2016 almost makes a nice "Five Days of Christmas", if you start with the golden rings:

• Thirty-one originalllll serieeeeeeees!
• 12 doc-u-men-ta-ries
• 10 feature films
• 10 stand-ups
• and a whopping 30 programs for kids!

After inventive shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (with the best earworm-y theme song in years) and Emmy nods continuing (34 noms this year!), it's not exactly a surprise move. But we the couch potatoes may not have thought of the financial savvy:  as tech blog Endgadget points out, creating original content makes sense as a long-term investment, as Netflix gets to keep the rights to what they create, forever. (Hear that, artists? Creating something new making financial sense: who'da thunk?) Way better than haggling for shorter-term contracts granting the use of someone else's stuff.

It's likely to work, of course, as long as this tremendous ramp-up is manageable.  So far, Netflix has done a pretty good job of creating engaging content and building a strong following.  House of Cards is still ringing bells with a stellar cast, and Orange is the New Black has been a huge success, even with lesser-known stars.  Other series are gaining ground, but the more they do, the harder it is to see through the haze and keep up with new offerings.  Marketing more shows isn't an issue of direct arithmetic:  you can't just put out twice and much and then publicize twice as much expecting double the return.  Some shows will get more support, from the production phase through marketing and release.  Others, good ones, will languish if the studio can't help get the word out.  They may have the same network woes coming their way as everyone else, if they can't properly support the new series and give them a decent chance of survival.

At least we have the hope of more Kimmy. Come on, let's all sing along!


One final thought:  the rights issue does make one wonder if we should grab the DVDs of our favorite series while they're available.  Just in case Netflix decides to pull a Disney, and hold back sets to create mock scarcity?  Probably not an immediate issue, but just in case:

• House of Cards, Season 1
• Orange is the New Black, Season 1