Omdia: Global streamers’ online original production returned to growth in 2022

LONDON, 14 March, 2023 – After being hit by production delays and cancelations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, content origination by the world’s leading online streamers rebounded in 2022, according to new research published by Omdia’s Digital Content & Channels Intelligence Service.

Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock collectively released a total of 1,752 titles and 4,878 hours of first-run original content in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 60% in titles and 87% in hours.

Netflix was the most prolific originator with 935 titles and 3,531 hours released in 2022, of which over 50% were from outside of the US. Since the release of Lilyhammer in 2012, Netflix’s first original series, Omdia estimates that Netflix has launched over 14,000 hours of original productions.

Omdia estimates that Netflix’s 935 online originals released in 2022 (not necessarily the same year they were produced), were worth $5.8bn last year. Furthermore, Omdia estimates that 42% of this total was invested by the streamer outside North America, with $1.1bn and $1bn invested in Europe and Asia and Oceania, respectively.

For the third year in a row, Amazon released more non-US originated titles on Prime Video than US titles. Its 2022 crop of 203 titles and 764 hours of original first-run programming were Amazon’s highest ever annual totals.

“The increase in original production is mainly driven by two factors: new productions delayed by the COVID pandemic finally arriving online, and the continuing international rollout of studio-backed D2C services such as Disney+, HBO Max, and Paramount+,” said Tim Westcott, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia.

The total number of original titles from these other providers released in 2022 increased to 614 titles in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 44%. A majority of these titles originated from the US. Warner Bros. Discovery service HBO Max produced over 30% of the 614 titles, with Disney+ contributing 19%.

“Whether we will see the same growth this year remains to be seen, with both Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney under pressure from shareholders to reduce their expenditure and stem the losses of their strategic move into streaming,” said Westcott.