Netflix library reportedly down 50% in four years

Thought the South African version of Netflix was lacking in the content department? Well, it appears that American users are feeling the content squeeze as well.

According to Exstreamist, there are currently 5302 titles on the US version of the streaming service, including TV shows and movies. However, this was down 50% compared to 2012, when the service apparently had almost 11 000 titles, insider sources told the publication.

Exstreamist claims that this downward trend was due to content owners refusing to give Netflix distribution rights as well as due to the firm decreasing its spend on third-party titles.

Netflix is increasingly emphasising original content over third-party titles

In the case of the former, Netflix has been pushing hard for global streaming rights in recent years, as it aggressively expands around the world. This is a change from previous negotiations, which often saw the company signing deals on a geographic basis.

The latter is ostensibly due to Netflix increasingly creating its own content, as it seeks to reduce its reliance on third party titles.

The firm has seemingly struck gold with many original titles, such as Stranger Things, Narcos, House of Cards, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Making a Murderer.