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Netflix-Europachef kritisiert Europas Regeln: Kreativität leide unter Regulierung

Netflix steigert EMEA-Umsatz im 3. Quartal 2026 um 11 Prozent, doch dauerhaft gelingt Wachstum nur, wenn kreative Freiheit in Europa erhalten bleibt.

LESEN SIE MEHR : http://de.euronews.com/2026/11/09/netflix-manager-larry-tanz-kreativitat-und-regulierung-vertragen-sich-in-europa-kaum

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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 Tanz,
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 and all over Europe and Middle East
01:10and 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, we 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 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 because we subtitle
02:42also 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 and take those stories to people
02:55all 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 and maybe some local television.
03:08And now, you know, if you're sitting in Italy and Rome, you can watch a Korean series and a German
03:15film 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?
03:31Well, there's huge potential, and I think there's great opportunities for growth.
03:37One of the challenges is how do we continue to build an environment that supports increased investment and increased creativity
03:46and risk-taking.
03:47Everyone in the industry has a shared incentive to support and foster and grow professionally produced film and series.
03:56Where I do get a little concerned is if we let legacy regulation or incremental investment obligations,
04:05which 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 and we have to tell others,
04:23that starts to limit the creativity and the boldness of the storytelling.
04:27So if we can get that right, I think we can create an environment where we can do a lot
04:32more.
04:32Interesting. Okay.
04:33What have been the recent big European successes and, you know, what learnings are you taking from that?
04:37We just launched Blood Sacrifice from Sweden this summer.
04:41And 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.
04:50Let's say you try to make a film in Spain and you cast it with people from everywhere and you
04:56try 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 and really speaking to a specific audience is the way not just to
05:09appeal to them,
05:10but to appeal to everyone.
05:11Wow. Okay.
05:12So forgive me if I've misunderstood.
05:13Yeah.
05:14You essentially are choosing an audience that you want to make something for, making it purely for them.
05:19And then if it's popular elsewhere, that's a bonus.
05:21Exactly. 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, that 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 and so authentic and so specific.
06:03That is incredibly fascinating.
06:05Matt Damon recently spoke out about being asked by Netflix to 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 we accepting it?
06:17Or is this something that we need to be doing better to engage audiences and keep them away from their
06:22phones?
06:23We have to make stories that people love.
06:25I mean, it's very challenging to compete with so many other alternatives, not just on Netflix,
06:31not just from other streaming services, but 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 and they're going to watch the whole thing.
06:49And I think this has been a challenge for storytellers since I entered the business more than 25 years ago,
06:55which is how do we grab an audience and 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 to pull people in, that's been a strong part of creating
07:10action movies since the 70s.
07:12So that hasn't changed.
07:13It's just something we're really reminded of because when we don't do it well, people move on and choose something
07:19else.
07:25And now, Larry, Netflix 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, because do you see yourself as having any sort
07:36of mandate
07:37in the same way that traditional broadcasters maybe did when we were younger?
07:40We have a very audacious vision, which is to entertain the world.
07:45It's a simple statement.
07:46Very hard to do because 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, your tastes change even by the time of day.
07:59Your tastes on a Saturday night for what you want to watch versus on a Wednesday midday are very, very,
08:05very different.
08:06So that's the goal we've set and the challenge we've put before ourselves.
08:10When Netflix are commissioning content, when you're producing content, who is in control?
08:17Do you think what viewers watch shapes the content that you produce, or do you shape what viewers watch?
08:22Well, the audience is ultimately the judge of whether or not something is great and something is going to get
08:30watched.
08:31So we really have to think about what's going to appeal to the audience.
08:34At the same time, we have to lean on creative gut and instinct because the most exciting stories are the
08:43things that no one ever could have thought of.
08:45And no data can ever tell you what to do.
08:47I mean, no data could ever have predicted that Squid Game, a survivalist drama from Korea, would be Netflix's biggest
08:54series ever.
08:56Just the data would never tell you that, right?
08:58Or I'll give you a more recent example.
09:01Adolescence was one of our biggest shows in the world for Netflix this year, but we can't make adolescence again.
09:08So the data is going to tell you that it was really, really big and successful.
09:13But now it's about going maybe back to that same talent and saying, okay, now you need something totally unique
09:19and totally different and totally new.
09:21And how quickly do you define what a success or a failure is in terms of you might make a
09:25series that you think is absolutely wonderful, but 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, it might suddenly be huge?
09:35Well, some things take off really, really fast.
09:38I mentioned Squid Game.
09:40It was incredible how a Korean series exploded and 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 on the service that helps audiences find what to watch.
10:02But word of mouth is so powerful.
10:04So, I mean, you can imagine when I go to a dinner party, mostly people are asking me, what should
10:11I watch next on Netflix?
10:13And then my wife always laughs because I'll say, okay, tell me like four or five things that you really,
10:19really 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.
10:27And so I can sometimes anticipate, oh, 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 what I love is when people come to me and say, you know, oh, I just discovered the Chestnut
10:44Man from Denmark.
10:45And they say, oh, that's so cool.
10:47I mean, that launched like four years ago, but 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, many people would dream of working at Netflix.
11:11How did you end up in this role?
11:12It is a dream job, I do admit.
11:15The job didn't exist when I was, you know, starting out my career.
11:20So I never would have.
11:21People said, did you always want to do this?
11:22And I will often say, I don't know, because 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 and that curiosity about what makes people connect with something.
11:40And when I started in Hollywood, I was able to work running Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's company.
11:47So I also got very close to how the best writers and actors and directors think about storytelling.
11:54And so I really came from that creative and producing side, not 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 to help grow
12:10and build our European local film and series initiative.
12:15It sounds to me like your psychology background is something that's kind of really driven your success because you really
12:19want to understand how people tick and think.
12:21And so when you're building your teams, what is it that you're looking for in those local teams?
12:28Do you want other people like you or is there other skills that you really value?
12:31I want people very different from me.
12:33OK.
12:34And we have that.
12:35And when you look at our teams, they're all different from each other, of course.
12:39But what is in common is people who are super passionate about storytelling and finding the next great story.
12:49And they have that curiosity, but 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, like that film's not going to come out for maybe two years.
13:08You can't just try to play on trends of the moment.
13:13You have to think about what is something people are going to be interested in talking about.
13:16So if you have The Secrets We Keep from Denmark, it's a great kind of mystery thriller.
13:23And it talks about this world of wealthy people and there are nannies who basically raise their kids.
13:31And there's a crime and someone goes missing and it's a really fun story.
13:35But it plays into a big theme in Denmark, which is, you know, what does it mean to have a
13:41nanny 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 because it's a very universal theme.
13:48But those executives and those teams really need to be, like, deep in the creative community, not just on the
13:56talent side, but 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 that you have in your team, you know, we're hearing a
14:04lot 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, which, by the way, is
14:40sort of the story of our industry.
14:42I mean, if you go back over the last few decades, we've had, you know, digital camera innovation.
14:48You've had incredible innovation in visual effects and CGI animation.
14:53And 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, I think that combination will yield very
15:15bold and big scope movies and series maybe that we've never seen before.
15:20But then it comes back to the people, which is creativity and critical thinking and collaboration.
15:29These are all the people skills that AI can never replace.
15:34Yes.
15:34And so I'd say we're really doubling down on that and on the talent piece that can utilize these tools
15:41to tell great stories.
15:42Because, you know, at some point, AI tools will further democratize production and storytelling, which 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.
16:01And so it's my job and it's our job at Netflix to find that talent and support them and nurture
16:08them and find those great stories and bring them out to audiences all over the world, however they might have
16:14come together.
16:15OK, so it feels it feels quite exciting.
16:17Yes.
16:18We're not scared.
16:18We're not scared.
16:19OK, brilliant.
16:20And so finally, we call it we're uncomfortably excited.
16:24That's what we like.
16:25OK.
16:26Finally, Larry, you know, I think in your career, you've worked at multiple places and it feels like you've always
16:30been that kind of a moment of change for the industry.
16:33Right.
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, I've been at these moments of change.
16:47And one thing I love about Netflix, when I joined over a decade ago, we were innovating and changing and
16:55trying new things.
16:56And that's continued over these 10 plus years.
17:00And that's where we are today, which is how can we look at audience tastes and changes in behavior and
17:08these incredible, powerful AI tools and think about, OK, how does that change what we make and how we make
17:15it?
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 is people love a great story.
17:25And if you can find the storyteller and equip them and enable and support them and then bring that story
17:33to a bigger and bigger audience, it's really magic.
17:38Brilliant.
17:38Well, on that note, thank you so much for joining me in the studio today.
17:42And thank you so much for your insights.
17:43Thanks so much, Hannah.
17:44This was really fun.
17:45Thank you so much for joining me in the studio today.

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