Netflix Steps Up Production on Spanish-Language Original Series

Netflix is in production on two Spanish-language projects in a bid to boost membership in Latin America: “Narcos,” a Colombia-set drug crime thriller co-helmed by Brazilian director Jose Padilha, and soccer-set satire “Club de Cuervos,” from the producers of Mexican blockbuster film Nosotros los Nobles.

While in Brazil, Netflix has been producing shows with local comics including Danilo Gentili (“Politicamente Incorreto”), Marco Zenni (“So Ria!”) and Fabio Lins (“Atira Sarro”).

“We are investing in content that would be attractive to [Latin America] but would also appeal to viewers across the world,” says Netflix communications chief Jonathan Friedland, who adds that original Netflix shows are also in production in France, the U.K. and Canada. Tony Wible, an analyst with Janney Montgomery Scott, estimated in a report this year that Netflix will spend almost $5 billion on original productions in 2016. 

To read more about Netflix's expansion plans in Latin America, including its recent decision to offer its subscription video-on-demand service to Cuba, read Anna Marie de la Fuente's article in Variety by clicking here.