Squid Game helps Netflix subscriptions bounce back

Netflix subscriptions increased in the third quarter of 2021 as non-English language shows continued to be the streaming platform’s top performers.

The US company added 4.4 million users in the three months to September 30, more than double the previous quarter.

The Korean TV series Squid Game was her biggest hit, seen by 142 million families in its first four weeks.

It comes as some Netflix staff members prepare to go out Wednesday amid backlash on comedian Dave Chappelle.

They accuse the star of mocking transgender people on his latest Netflix special, but the company defended him.

Netflix’s strong performance follows a slow start to 2021, when the growing demand for streaming previously seen during the pandemic died down.

The US company, the largest streaming platform in the world, now expects to add approximately 8.5 million new subscribers in the fourth quarter, above analysts’ expectations.

It is led by popular shows like Sex Education, Queen’s Gambit, and the global hit Squid Game.

The dystopian series – which tells the story of a group of people forced to play deadly games for children for money – has become a viral sensation and the costume drama Bridgerton has been dethroned as Netflix’s most popular show to date.

According to Bloomberg, the Korean series is thought to be worth around $ 900 million to the streaming giant, after costing $ 21.4 million.

Another non-English-language show, La Casa de Papel (aka Money Heist), also did well, with the fifth series seen by 69 million viewers in the first four weeks.

“We are now producing local TV and films in approximately 45 countries and have built deep relationships with creative communities around the world,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.

The company plans to attract more new users in the run-up to Christmas with the return of seasons of popular shows like “Tiger King” and “Cobra Kai”.

It also agreed to acquire the Roald Dahl Story Company in September, pending regulatory approval, so it will own the rights to stocks like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.

David Chappelle’s special “The Closer” saw the comic borderline joking that “gender is a fact” and accused LGBTQ people of being “too sensitive”.

In one skit, Mr. Chappelle, who is black, says, “In our country you can shoot and kill [a black man], but you’d better not hurt a gay person’s feelings. “

Netflix trans staff hit the company. Ahead of a rally Wednesday at Netflix’s Los Gatos, California headquarters, a group representing trans staff told the company to stop the “platform … hate speech” and issued a series of requests.

“We want the company to take steps in the areas of content investment, employee relationships and security and harm reduction, all of which are necessary to avoid future cases of transphobia and hate speech platform,” they said in a note.

In a note to staff earlier this month, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos acknowledged that some of the staff had been “left angry, disappointed and hurt” by the special.

But he added: “With ‘The Closer’, we understand that the concern is not about content that is offensive to some, but titles that could increase the damage in the real world (such as further marginalization of already marginalized groups, hatred, violence, etc. .).

“While some employees disagree, we strongly believe that the content on the screen does not directly translate into real harm.”