We are living in the age of streaming media. Now, more than ever, people are completely beholden to their internet devices in order to consume news, entertainment, and distractions from their day to day lives. Leading the way, for the past decade, has been the streaming giant Netflix. Netflix started out as a dual threat company that mailed DVDs and offered a limited streaming service. Now those ratios have gone inverse. Netflix is becoming the biggest streaming giant on the planet, going toe to toe with the likes even of YouTube. With a plethora of amazing programming funded by Netflix as a studio, and critical reception to match their effort, the streaming giant is looking toward becoming an even bigger presence in Hollywood. Netflix has started to focus now on their work as a legitimate studio in Hollywood.
Netflix is making the move from nebulous producer of excellent programmer to an actual place with a cement and brick location in Tinseltown. Netflix built their 14 story tower right in the heart of Hollywood and their logo is splayed across the top of the building. This new location prides itself on showcasing just how important Netflix has become in terms of entertainment production. Netflix now has an annual $16 billion budget in order to create their own original programming — and boy has the programming been good.
Netflix’s success as a content producing studio really took off a couple of years ago with the wildly successful “Beasts of No Nation” which starred Idris Elba. The film pushed the divide between conventional Hollywood and the legitimacy of streaming. The film was so good that it actually pushed for a conversation regarding the conversation of Oscar legitimacy with streaming services. Most recently Netflix has taken critical acclaim for their work on a variety of different series including the hits ‘Stranger Things’, ‘Narcos’ and ‘Daredevil.
Netflix recently picked up Shonda Rhimes to help at Netflix Studios. Rhimes created ‘Scandal’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and she’ll be one of the loudest new voices in the Netflix Studios. Netflix Studios will be accounting for nearly 75% of the future projects that Netflix is putting out in their ‘original’ line up. Rhimes will be joining a full team that will be looking to further blur the line between streaming entertainment, conventional cable, and the entertainment people are starting to acquire for free from random places on the internet.
Dil Bole Oberoi
