Netflix: ‘We’ve Been Able to Get 200+ Projects Going Remotely’

(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix said that despite the shutdown of production studios due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s able to keep its pipeline moving. 

“[W]ithin two weeks of the shelter-in-place orders coming into effect in Los Angeles, most of our animation production team was back up and running, working from home,” Netflix said in its Q1 letter to shareholders Tuesday. “On the post production side, we’ve been able to get 200+ projects going remotely. Most of our series writers’ rooms are operating virtually.”

In the booming business of streaming video entertainment, it’s been a conundrum: How do streaming services like Netflix serve a massive, engaged, quarantined audience when their content production engines are shut down due to the pandemic?

Also read: Production Panic: Can the Major SVOD Services Keep Up with Ravenous Audience Demand?

Netflix conceded that, despite its internet post-production capabilities, there has been some limits to what it can do. 

“[W]e’ve been unable to create dubs in Italian and some other languages due to home confinement of our voice talent for a handful of titles launching in April and May,” the company said. “But we hope that with the help of guilds around the world, voice actors can be set up from home, ensuring that they can stay safe and continue to earn a living. Similar efforts are underway for both music and visual effects.”

Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!