*Netflix viewership worldwide is currently sitting at around 130 million. The service launched in 1997, and since its streaming service was introduced in 2007, the model has managed to completely revolutionize the market and grow from strength. Crucially, it is a modern service aimed at largely millennial audiences, but it puts real emphasis on championing diversity.
There’s Representation
At your fingertips, you can access thousands of TV and movie titles across almost every genre imaginable, and great care is taken to ensure that there are titles for different demographics. It’s argued that Netflix is one of the most diverse entertainment platforms. From family shows on Netflix featuring black actors such as comedy sitcoms like Black-ish and Grown-ish to the Marvel show Luke Cage, and to hard-hitting dramas, black people are being represented as the multi-dimensional characters we should have always been seeing. These are available to viewers of all races, but they’re especially important to black viewers – as we all know, representation really matters.
Netflix updates titles on a regular basis (although, be careful… sometimes they give, and sometimes they take away…). The titles that are available also change depending on where you are in the world. There are titles specific to geographic regions, with programs available in different languages or for different markets, because there are restrictions in place due to copyright. The USA has more movie titles than many countries. However, in terms of TV, there is usually a comparable number, simply with different shows. Many people think the American titles are the best though, and if you’re among the 54% of subscribers outside of the USA, and you’re wondering how to watch American Netflix, you’re in luck – it can be done, and this may well give you access to some shows that are more representative.
Netflix Originals Are Hitting The Mark
For those who aren’t satisfied watching material they could watch elsewhere, Netflix Originals have been created to put the brand as market leaders above their competitors. Arguably, this is the secret to their long-term success. There are around 700 original titles globally, and some of these are the top shows on the whole service.
Notably, some of these shows feature complex potrayals of people of color and the issues they face, such as the thought-provoking Orange is the New Black, which deals with the issue of the disproportionate representation of PoC in American prisons and systemic inequality, while also broaching issues like black sexuality and matters affecting LGBT+. Dear White People is another fantastic show which focuses on black identity in often majority-white spaces, at a time where we in society need to think about race most.
Netflix is both convenient and cost effective, and this makes all of these shows all the more accessible. You can watch your subscription almost anywhere, anytime, and you can even download titles to watch on the go or have a family account to share your shows with your family and friends. The more people who subscribe, the better their content will get – and hopefully, the more diverse, too.
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