Netflix will bet more on interactive storytelling: Todd Yellin

“Expect that to double next year, and then double again,” said Todd Yellin, Vice President, Product, Netflix, while speaking on further expansion in Indian content production. In conversation with Anuradha Sengupta, Consulting Editor, CNN-News18, on Day 1 of the 20th edition of FICCI Frames, Yellin talked about India as an important market and how Indian shows are garnering great success on a global map. 

Yellin highlighted how India is remarkably well placed in the era of internet entertainment and how the best of Indian creators can tell stories and reach diverse audiences connecting the world with great content. 

He explained that Netflix’s first Indian original series, ‘Sacred Games’, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte, was a global hit for the service, with two out of three viewers of the show living outside India. 

He also spoke about how global shows are doing well in India and especially mentioned the documentary ‘Period: End of sentence’, which recently won the Oscar. He said, “Even before it won the Oscar, it was watched by a thousand people. We are taking content on a global scale so that millions of people can watch documentaries like these.” Incidentally, ‘Period: End of sentence’ is based on Hapur in Uttar Pradesh and showcases how rural women are striving for menstrual hygiene and financial independence. 

Yellin added, “‘Bandersnatch’, a huge hit here in India, is also a huge hit around the world. It made us realise that interactive storytelling is something that we want to bet on more. So, over the next year or two, expect to see more interactive storytelling.” 

He further said that the number of languages Netflix content will be available in will increase from 25 to 30.