Επικεφαλής του Netflix: «Η δημιουργικότητα και η ρύθμιση δεν συμβιβάζονται στην Ευρώπη»

euronews (στα ελληνικά)

Επικεφαλής του Netflix: «Η δημιουργικότητα και η ρύθμιση δεν συμβιβάζονται στην Ευρώπη»  Τα έσοδα της Netflix στην περιοχή EMEA αυξήθηκαν κατά 11% σε ετήσια βάση στο γ’ τρίμηνο του 2026, αλλά η διατήρηση αυτής της ανάπτυξης θα εξαρτηθεί από τη διαφύλαξη της δημιουργικής ελευθερίας σε όλη την Ευρώπη.  ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ : http://gr.euronews.com/2026/11/09/netflix-boss-says-creativity-and-regulation-are-not-happy-bedfellows-when-in-europe  Γίνε συνδρομητής! ! Το euronews είναι διαθέσιμο σε 12 γλώσσες

Transcript

00:00We have a very audacious vision.

00:02We can't take our audience's attention for granted.

00:05Creativity and regulation are not happy bedfellows.

00:09We're uncomfortably excited.

00:16Welcome to The Big Question,

00:18the series from Euronews where we speak to some of the biggest names in business.

00:22And today is no different.

00:24I am joined in the studio by Larry Tans,

00:26Senior Vice President and Head of Content at Netflix.

00:28Thank you so much for joining me today, Larry.

00:31Thanks, Hannah. It's great to be here.

00:32So first of all, you're leading content that we all watch in Europe and Africa and the Middle East.

00:38Broadly speaking, what is defining content consumption habits in Europe right now?

00:43Wow, it's a big question.

00:44And this is a big region.

00:46Europe, Middle East and Africa is Netflix's biggest region by members.

00:50We have over 100 million members and we continue to grow.

00:53Yeah.

00:54And when I joined Netflix over a decade ago, we were really just getting started here.

00:58We had no original films and series here.

01:02And fast forward to today, we're producing in 50 countries around the world

01:07and all over Europe and Middle East and Africa.

01:11But really, you know, you ask about what defines tastes.

01:15There's really not a single European taste.

01:17I mean, there isn't even a single French taste or German taste, right?

01:21I mean, I don't know about you, but when I sit down in my living room with my three teenagers

01:25and my wife,

01:26we have five different sets of tastes.

01:29And so for us, it's really how do we find local storytellers who can appeal to the French audience or

01:36the German audience?

01:38Or in Spain, you might have audiences from all different regions that have all of their tastes.

01:42And we started out actually trying to do this from L.A. when I first joined and doing it from

01:47far away.

01:48And what we learned is that really wasn't going to work.

01:51So then we really moved here and set up our European operations so that we could get closer to filmmakers

01:57and closer to storytellers and those audiences.

02:00So how do you commission and produce content to cater to such a broad audience?

02:04So we're working with writers and filmmakers all across Europe and then matching them with the audience.

02:11So really great personalization will help you find something you want to watch at that time.

02:18And then we also help create that match by making it easy for you to watch.

02:23So we dub in almost 40 different languages.

02:27Wow.

02:28So your German film can be watched in Portuguese and in Italian and in French.

02:35And that enables audiences, if they want, to watch the dub or they can watch with subtitles

02:41because we subtitle also in all of those languages.

02:44And really only Netflix is doing it at this scale.

02:47But that's enabled us to take very, very local and specific films and series

02:53and take those stories to people all over the world.

02:56And what's been really interesting is to see how tastes have evolved.

03:00It used to be people would just watch whatever Hollywood content was exported to them

03:06and maybe some local television.

03:08And now, you know, if you're sitting in Italy, in Rome,

03:12you can watch a Korean series and a German film and a reality show from Brazil.

03:17And so people are really seeking out those different entertainment options.

03:21And that's really exciting.

03:28So right now, what do you think are the biggest challenges for the industry?

03:32Well, there's huge potential.

03:33And I think there's great opportunities for growth.

03:37One of the challenges is how do we continue to build an environment

03:42that supports increased investment and increased creativity and risk-taking.

03:48Everyone in the industry has a shared incentive to support and foster and grow

03:54professionally produced film and series.

03:56Where I do get a little concerned is if we let legacy regulation

04:01or incremental investment obligations,

04:04which can just disrupt the risk-taking and creativity in an industry.

04:10I mean, you can look across any industry.

04:13Creativity and regulation are not happy bedfellows.

04:17If there's regulation and limits and we can only tell certain types of stories

04:21or we have to tell others, that starts to limit the creativity

04:25and the boldness of the storytelling.

04:27So if we can get that right, I think we can create an environment

04:31where we can do a lot more.

04:32Interesting. Okay.

04:33What have been the recent big European successes?

04:36And, you know, what learnings are you taking from that?

04:37We just launched Blood Sacrifice from Sweden this summer.

04:42And it was a huge hit for us, both in Sweden and also all over the world.

04:46And it worked so well because of its authenticity.

04:49Let's say you try to make a film in Spain

04:52and you cast it with people from everywhere

04:55and you try to make it for everybody.

04:58You end up making it for nobody and nobody watches it.

05:02And so we've learned that this authenticity

05:05and really speaking to a specific audience

05:08is the way not just to appeal to them, but to appeal to everyone.

05:11Wow. Okay. So forgive me if I've misunderstood.

05:13You essentially are choosing an audience that you want to make something for,

05:17or making it purely for them.

05:19And then if it's popular elsewhere, that's a bonus.

05:22Exactly. Exactly.

05:23Because if you don't make it for someone, you'll end up making it for no one.

05:28And this idea that there are global shows or global stories.

05:31If you look at some of our biggest global titles, Squid Game,

05:35that was commissioned by a team in Korea.

05:39and all they thought about was let's make it an incredible Korean television series.

05:45And they weren't thinking about, well, how do we get the Americans to watch it?

05:50They were just thinking about making a great survivalist dark drama for Korea.

05:56and I think what people loved about it was it was so Korean

06:00and so authentic and so specific.

06:03That is incredibly fascinating.

06:05Matt Damon recently spoke out about being asked by Netflix

06:07to repeat key plot lines in his films

06:09because you know people will be scrolling on their phones.

06:13And is this just how people consume content now and are accepting it?

06:17Or is this something that we need to be doing better

06:19to engage audiences and keep them away from their phones?

06:23We have to make stories that people love.

06:25I mean, it's very challenging to compete with so many other alternatives,

06:30not just on Netflix, not just from other streaming services,

06:34but from all of the distractions, gaming or social media.

06:37And so we have a hard job, right?

06:40We can't take our audience's attention for granted.

06:43We can't just assume that they're here to watch it

06:47and they're going to watch the whole thing.

06:49And I think this has been a challenge for storytellers,

06:51since I entered the business more than 25 years ago,

06:55which is how do we grab an audience

06:56and how do we keep an audience?

06:58What's changed is there's more competition for attention.

07:01But the big opening sequence in an action movie

07:06to pull people in,

07:07that's been a strong part of creating action movies

07:11since the 70s.

07:12So that hasn't changed.

07:13It's just something we're really reminded of

07:15because when we don't do it well,

07:17people move on and choose something else.

07:25And now, Larry,

07:26Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world.

07:29We all know this.

07:30But I'm really interested to hear how you see your role

07:33because do you see yourself as having any sort of mandate

07:37in the same way that traditional broadcasters

07:39maybe did when we were younger?

07:40We have a very audacious vision,

07:43which is to entertain the world.

07:45The simple statement, very hard to do

07:48because the world, let's just take Europe,

07:50there's such variety in tastes.

07:52There's such variety of experiences.

07:55And by the way,

07:56your tastes change even by the time of day.

07:59Your tastes on a Saturday night for what you want to watch

08:02versus on a Wednesday midday are very, very different.

08:06So that's the goal we've set

08:07and the challenge we've put before ourselves.

08:10When Netflix are commissioning content,

08:13when you're producing content,

08:15who is in control?

08:17Do you think what viewers watch shapes the content that you produce?

08:21Or do you shape what viewers watch?

08:22Well, the audience is ultimately the judge

08:27of whether or not something is great

08:29and something is going to get watched.

08:31So we really have to think about

08:32what's going to appeal to the audience.

08:34At the same time,

08:37we have to lean on creative gut and instinct

08:39because the most exciting stories

08:42are the things that no one ever could have thought of

08:44and no data can ever tell you what to do.

08:47I mean, no data could ever have predicted

08:50that Squid Game, a survivalist drama from Korea,

08:53would be Netflix's biggest series ever.

08:56Just the data would never tell you that, right?

08:59Or I'll give you a more recent example.

09:01Adolescence was one of our biggest shows

09:03in the world for Netflix this year,

09:06but we can't make Adolescence again.

09:08So the data is going to tell you

09:11that it was really, really big and successful.

09:13But now it's about going maybe back to that same talent

09:16and saying, okay, now you need something totally unique

09:19and totally different and totally new.

09:21And how quickly do you define

09:22what a success or a failure is

09:24in terms of you might make a series

09:26that you think is absolutely wonderful,

09:27but people might not immediately watch it.

09:29And so will that mean that you will never commission it again?

09:32Or would you give it time and say like a year on,

09:34it might suddenly be huge?

09:36Well, some things take off really, really fast.

09:38I mentioned Squid Game.

09:40It was incredible how a Korean series exploded

09:45and people all over the world were watching.

09:47Many of them had never watched a Korean series before.

09:49But things do often take a bit more time to percolate.

09:55And obviously we have a really strong personalization system

09:59on the service that helps audiences find what to watch.

10:02But word of mouth is so powerful.

10:05So, I mean, you can imagine when I go to a dinner party,

10:09mostly people are asking me,

10:11what should I watch next on Netflix?

10:13And then my wife always laughs because I'll say,

10:16okay, tell me like four or five things

10:18that you really, really loved.

10:19And then I'll recommend some things to you.

10:21So sometimes she calls me the human algorithm,

10:24but it's only because I've seen so many things.

10:27Yes.

10:27And so I can sometimes anticipate,

10:29oh, if you loved Peaky Blinders, you know,

10:32you're going to love The Secrets We Keep from Denmark.

10:35And so it's always a fun party trick.

10:38But, and what I love is when people come to me and say,

10:42you know, oh, I just discovered The Chestnut Man from Denmark.

10:45and they say, oh, that's so cool.

10:47I mean, that launched like four years ago,

10:49but you just discovered it today.

10:51That's one of the things I think we don't talk about that much.

10:54It's usually about new, new, new,

10:56and what are the new things coming out.

10:58But how people continue to discover things.

11:07Thinking about your career personally,

11:09many people would dream of working at Netflix.

11:11How did you end up in this role?

11:12It is a dream job.

11:14I do admit the job didn't exist when I was,

11:18you know, starting out my career.

11:20So I never would have, people said,

11:21did you always want to do this?

11:22And I will often say, I don't know,

11:25because Netflix didn't exist and this job didn't exist.

11:29But, you know, I studied psychology

11:32and I've never lost that fascination

11:35and that curiosity about what makes people connect with something.

11:41And when I started in Hollywood,

11:44I was able to work running Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's company.

11:47So I also got very close to how the best writers

11:51and actors and directors think about storytelling.

11:54And so I really came from that creative and producing side,

11:58not really from the corporate side of the industry.

12:01And so it also then made sense for me to move my family to Amsterdam in 2019

12:08to help grow and build our European local film and series initiative.

12:15It sounds to me like your psychology background

12:17is something that's kind of really driven your success

12:19because you really want to understand how people tick and think.

12:21And so when you're building your teams,

12:25what is it that you're looking for in those local teams?

12:28Do you want other people like you

12:29or is there other skills that you really value?

12:31I want people very different from me.

12:33Okay.

12:34And we have that.

12:35And when you look at our teams,

12:37they're all different from each other, of course.

12:39But what is in common is people who are super passionate

12:44about storytelling and finding the next great story.

12:50and they have that curiosity,

12:52but also experience and relationships with the best storytellers.

12:58And also they're kind of plugged into what's happening in society.

13:01If you develop a film script right now,

13:05like that film's not going to come out for maybe two years.

13:08Yes.

13:09You can't just try to, you know, play on trends of the moment.

13:13You have to think about what is something

13:14people are going to be interested in talking about.

13:16So if you have, you know, The Secrets We Keep from Denmark,

13:20it's a great kind of mystery thriller.

13:22And it talks about this world of wealthy people.

13:27And there are nannies who basically raise their kids.

13:31Okay.

13:31And there's a crime and someone goes missing.

13:33And it's a really fun story.

13:35But it plays into a big theme in Denmark,

13:38which is, you know, what does it mean to have a nanny raise your kids?

13:42And what does it mean to be a parent?

13:44And by the way, it then worked all over the world

13:47because it's a very universal theme.

13:48But those executives and those teams really need to be, like,

13:53deep in the creative community, not just on the talent side,

13:57but also in terms of what the audience might respond to.

14:00Interesting.

14:00Okay.

14:01So when, again, when we're thinking about these skills

14:02that you have in your team,

14:04you know, we're hearing a lot about how AI is changing the workforce.

14:06and, you know, the skills that we need for the future of our work.

14:10And so how do you think it's going to shape Netflix?

14:13It's changing so many things.

14:15But a great screenwriter is a great screenwriter with or without AI.

14:20And a powerful AI screenwriting tool will never be as great as a great screenwriter.

14:28And a great screenwriter maybe using AI tools could be even better.

14:32So I think it's that combination of really, really great talent and more powerful tools,

14:39which, by the way, it's sort of the story of our industry.

14:42I mean, if you go back over the last few decades,

14:44we've had, you know, digital camera innovation.

14:48You've had incredible innovation in visual effects and CGI animation.

14:54And I think what those have enabled is for storytellers to tell bigger and bolder stories.

15:01And I see AI as pretty similar.

15:04There are these tools that are becoming more and more powerful.

15:08And if we can put those tools in the hands of great storytellers,

15:12I think that combination will yield very bold and big scope movies and series

15:18maybe that we've never seen before.

15:20But then it comes back to the people,

15:22which is creativity and critical thinking and collaboration.

15:29These are all the people skills that AI can never replace.

15:34And so I'd say we're really doubling down on that

15:37and on the talent piece that can utilize these tools to tell great stories.

15:42Because, you know, at some point,

15:45AI tools will further democratize production and storytelling,

15:50which is really, really great.

15:51But then you have a lot out there.

15:55And then I think the best talent more than ever will rise to the top.

16:00Yeah.

16:00And so it's my job and it's our job at Netflix to find that talent

16:07and support them and nurture them and find those great stories

16:10and bring them out to audiences all over the world,

16:13however they might have come together.

16:15Okay.

16:16So it feels quite exciting.

16:17Yes.

16:18We're not scared.

16:19Okay.

16:20Brilliant.

16:20And so finally...

16:22We call it we're uncomfortably excited.

16:24That's what we like to say.

16:25Okay.

16:25Finally, Larry, you know, I think in your career,

16:28you've worked at multiple places

16:29and it feels like you've always been there

16:31at kind of a moment of change for the industry, right?

16:34So we're in this digital age and industries are transforming.

16:38Where do you see TV, film and content evolving to next?

16:42Well, since I joined Netflix and throughout my career, I agree.

16:45I've been at these moments of change.

16:47And one thing I love about Netflix,

16:50when I joined over a decade ago,

16:52we were innovating and changing and trying new things.

16:56and that's continued over these 10 plus years.

17:00And that's where we are today,

17:02which is how can we look at audience tastes

17:06and changes in behavior

17:07and these incredible, powerful AI tools

17:11and think about, okay, how does that change what we make

17:15and how we make it?

17:16I mean, ultimately, it all comes down to the same thing.

17:19And this has been a theme that's true throughout my whole career

17:23is people love a great story.

17:25And if you can find the storyteller

17:28and equip them and enable and support them

17:31and then bring that story to a bigger and bigger audience,

17:37it's really magic.

17:38Brilliant.

17:38Well, on that note,

17:39thank you so much for joining me in the studio today

17:41and thank you so much for your insights.

17:43Thanks so much, Hannah.

17:44This was really fun.

17:51and thank you so much for joining me in the studio.

17:52Thank you so much for joining me in the studio.

17:53Thank you so much for joining me in the studio.

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