Netflix just released its latest bi-annual data dump, outlining all the most popular shows and movies from the second half of 2024. One interesting highlight in particular may help explain why Apple TV+ has been leaning so hard into global, non-English content recently.
Netflix’s massive success is fueled by a global audience
Netflix operates at a very different scale than Apple TV+, so it’s hard to make comparisons in terms of content popularity.
But one key highlight from the latest Netflix viewership report helps explain a recent Apple TV+ trend.
Per Netflix: “Nearly a third of all viewing on Netflix came from non-English shows and films”
That’s a pretty huge chunk of a really big Netflix viewership pie.
Additionally, three of Netflix’s 10 most viewed shows during the period were also non-English—headlined by Squid Game season 2.
Netflix has long invested heavily in non-English content as it seeks to grow a global audience—and its strategy seems to be really paying off.
Apple TV+, meanwhile, is a much smaller player at the moment, but it’s recently been ramping up non-English projects too.
Apple TV+ is heavily upping its investment in non-English content
Apple’s streamer did produce some non-English shows in its first few years, such as Pachinko and Drops of God.
Those shows received lots of critical acclaim. Yet they remained rare outliers among a slate of mostly English content.
In the last several months though, there’s been a significant increase of non-English output.
Just since September, Apple TV+ has debuted:
- Berlin ER, a German hospital drama
- Love You to Death, a Spanish romantic comedy
- You Would Do It Too, a Spanish crime thriller
- Where’s Wanda?, a German dark comedy
- Midnight Family, a Spanish medical drama
- La Maison, a French fashion drama
Despite having a relatively low output of new content overall, Apple TV+ has started averaging one new non-English show per month.
And Netflix’s success helps explain why.
Even though US growth remains Apple’s big priority, the company is making moves with TV+ that set it on a path toward true global success.
Perhaps the current Severance craze will lead more Apple TV+ viewers around the world to discover great non-English content too.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, and Shrinking.
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