Netflix US more originals, less library
October 3, 2016
The number of titles in the US Netflix library is down 50 per cent in the last 4 years.
Streaming news site Exstreamist pulled September 2016 title counts from uNoGS in the US, showing that there are currently 5,302 titles available in the US Netflix library including movies and TV shows. It says this means that, over the past four years, the Netflix library has halved in total title count since its peak four years ago.
While the exact number of titles available on Netflix in 2012 is unknown, sources who used to work for the streaming giant have told Exstreamist it was close to 11,000 movies and TV shows.
Over the years, this gradual decline has come from major content owners pulling the plug on giving Netflix distribution rights, as well as Netflix decreasing their total spend on third party content. Instead of having to renegotiate streaming rights repeatedly for third party content, Netflix has opted to place a heavier focus on original movies and shows, a move that, while certainly appearing successful thus far, is still considered by many to be a big gamble.