Netflix isn't fooling around with this whole original programming thing. At a conference on Monday, the streaming company announced a new plan to roll out up to 20 original series or seasons of original shows per year. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said the company's five-year goal is to premiere a new show or season every two-and-a-half weeks. That means a whole lot of binge-watching. But Sarandos noted that there won't be "a new show for everybody, every two-and-a-half weeks," but shows that cater to "specialized" audiences.
There's no question that Netflix, along with other online streaming providers, has contributed to a decline in traditional TV viewership. According to The New York Times, there was a "3 percent decline in television viewing so far this season," something that David Poltrack, chief research officer at CBS, echoed in a new study on Monday. Poltrack's study, however, also called into question Netflix's ability to create new hit shows, claiming that the service hasn't had "a true new hit" since "Orange Is the New Black" and "House of Cards" premiered in 2013. The study also found that Netflix's original programming only accounts for roughly 7 percent of their adult subscribers.
Though we'll never really know just how many people are watching "OITNB," or even how many will stream "Marco Polo" when it premieres this month. Sarandos clarified that Netflix won't release ratings information, stating that the reasoning isn't meant to "frustrate the press or talent," but that it's an "irrelevant measure of success" for the company. "I honestly think that it works against the quality of television," he said.
For the full press conference transcript, head to Seeking Alpha.
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