Netflix is ramping up production of content in Thailand after investing more than US$200 million in the past four years, underscoring the Southeast Asian nation’s growing role as a regional hub for production.
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The world’s largest platform has been pumping out original content from Thailand, such as the mystery thriller series Master of the House, helping attract 750 million viewing hours of Thai content in 2024 alone. Netflix is planning to create nine original titles this year, including a zombie-survival film, Ziam.
“We are ramping up local storytelling with local investments. We are also training the next generation of Thai storytellers and crew,” Malobika Banerji, director of content for Southeast Asia at Netflix, said at a briefing on Wednesday.
“This puts us in a unique position in the entertainment industry, not just bringing foreign content and production to Thailand, but enriching the local ecosystem, and we are not slowing down.”
The push aligns with Bangkok’s goal to generate 4 trillion baht (US$123 billion) in income and create 20 million jobs in the creative economy, part of a broader strategy to create a new economic engine and diversify away from its tourism-reliant and export-heavy growth model. Thailand is drawing inspiration from South Korea’s cultural playbook, betting on local content that can travel outside the region and host big-budget foreign productions.
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