ROME: From a supernatural drama set in Jordan to a Turkish series called “The Protector,” Netflix is nearly doubling its film production in Europe, the Middle East and Africa — with over 100 projects originating in the region in 2018.
In an ornate villa on one of the seven hills of Rome, the internet TV service on Wednesday unveiled a raft of new “Originals,” a day after announcing better-than-expected growth to 125 million subscribers.
It unveiled 10 new European projects including “The English Game” from the UK, a six-part drama about the invention of football written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.
It follows the announcement in February that Netflix is making “Jinn,” its first Arabic original series, which will film in Jordan later this year.
The US-headquartered company said regional film production now spans 16 countries — including Lebanon, Turkey and Israel — with 35,000 people working on local productions. These include “Mortel” from France, “The Wave” from Germany and comedy “Turn Up Charlie,” starring Idris Elba.
Investment in Europe, the Middle East and Africa has “nearly doubled” that made in 2017, Netflix said. The company says it will spend up to $8 billion on global TV shows and movies in 2018.
Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, said people could now watch Netflix “anywhere in the world — except China.”
He said Netflix had worked with pay-TV platforms such as the Dubai-based OSN and Sky to make the service available on set-top boxes.
Netflix on Monday revealed that it had added 7.4 million subscribers in the first quarter of the year, a 50 percent increase on the same quarter last year, outpacing analyst expectations.
Yet subscriber figures for the Middle East and North Africa region were modest as at the end of 2016, when it had just 137,000 subscribers in the region, according to data from IHS Markit.
Netflix doubles original productions from Europe, Middle East and Africa
Netflix doubles original productions from Europe, Middle East and Africa
- Announces 10 European projects including drama by ‘Downton Abbey’ creator
- Plans to invest nearly twice the funds in the region compared to last year
Foreign press group welcomes Israel court deadline on Gaza access
- Supreme Court set deadline for responding to petition filed by the Foreign Press Association to Jan. 4
- Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from independently entering the Strip
JERUSALEM: The Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem on Sunday welcomed the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to set January 4 as the deadline for Israel to respond to its petition seeking media access to Gaza.
Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.
Israel has instead allowed, on a case-by-case basis, a handful of reporters to accompany its troops into the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories, filed a petition to the supreme court last year, seeking immediate access for international journalists to the Gaza Strip.
On October 23, the court held a first hearing on the case, and decided to give Israeli authorities one month to develop a plan for granting access.
Since then the court has given several extensions to the Israeli authorities to come up with their plan, but on Saturday it set January 4 as a final deadline.
“If the respondents (Israeli authorities) do not inform us of their position by that date, a decision on the request for a conditional order will be made on the basis of the material in the case file,” the court said.
The FPA welcomed the court’s latest directive.
“After two years of the state’s delay tactics, we are pleased that the court’s patience has finally run out,” the association said in a statement.
“We renew our call for the state of Israel to immediately grant journalists free and unfettered access to the Gaza Strip.
“And should the government continue to obstruct press freedoms, we hope that the supreme court will recognize and uphold those freedoms,” it added.
An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.
