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Netflix boss says creativity and regulation 'are not happy bedfellows' in Europe

Netflix’s EMEA revenue grew 11% year on year in Q3 2026, but sustaining that growth will depend on preserving creative freedom across Europe.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/11/09/netflix-boss-says-creativity-and-regulation-are-not-happy-bedfellows-when-in-europe

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00:00We have a very audacious vision. We can't take our audience's attention for granted.
00:05Creativity and regulation are not happy bedfellows. We're uncomfortably excited.
00:16Welcome to The Big Question, the series from Euronews where we speak to some of the biggest
00:20names in business. And today is no different. I am joined in the studio by Larry Tanz,
00:26senior vice president and head of content at Netflix. Thank you so much for joining me today,
00:31Larry. Thanks, Hannah. It's great to be here. So first of all, you know, you're leading content
00:34that we all watch in Europe and Africa and the Middle East. Broadly speaking,
00:39what is defining content consumption habits in Europe right now?
00:43Wow, it's a big question. And this is a big region. Europe, Middle East and Africa is Netflix's biggest
00:49region by members. We have over 100 million members and we continue to grow. Yeah. And when I joined
00:54Netflix over a decade ago, we are really just getting started here. We had no original films
01:01and series here. And fast forward to today, we're producing in 50 countries around the world
01:08and all over Europe and Middle East and Africa. But really, you know, you ask about what defines
01:14tastes. There's really not a single European taste. I mean, there isn't even a single French
01:19taste or German taste, right? I mean, I don't know about you, but when I sit down in my living
01:24room
01:24with my three teenagers and my wife, we have five different sets of tastes. And so for us,
01:30it's really how do we find local storytellers who can appeal to the French audience or the
01:37German audience? Or in Spain, you might have audiences from all different regions that have
01:41all of their tastes. And we started out actually trying to do this from L.A. when I first joined
01:46and doing it from far away. And what we learned is that really wasn't going to work. So then we
01:51really moved here and set up our European operations so that we could get closer to filmmakers
01:57and closer to storytellers and those audiences. So how do you commission and produce content
02:02to cater to such a broad audience? So we're working with writers and filmmakers all across
02:07Europe and then matching them with the audience. So really great personalization will help you
02:15find something you want to watch at that time. And then we also help create that match by making it
02:22easy for you to watch. So we dub in almost 40 different languages. Wow. So your German film can be
02:30watched in Portuguese and in Italian and in French. And that enables audiences, if they want, to watch
02:38the dub or they can watch with subtitles because we subtitle also in all of those languages. And really
02:45only Netflix is doing it at this scale. But that's enabled us to take very, very local and specific
02:52films and series and take those stories to people all over the world. And what's been really interesting
02:58is to see how tastes have evolved. It used to be people would just watch whatever Hollywood content was
03:05exported to them and maybe some local television. And now, you know, if you're sitting in Italy,
03:12in Rome, you can watch a Korean series and a German film and a reality show from Brazil. And so
03:18people are
03:18really seeking out those different entertainment options. And 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
03:44investment and increased creativity and risk taking? Everyone in the industry has a shared incentive
03:51to support and foster and grow professionally produced film and series. Where I do get a little
03:58concern is if we let legacy regulation or incremental investment obligations, which can just disrupt the
04:07risk taking and creativity in an industry. I mean, you can look across any industry. Creativity and
04:14regulation are not happy bedfellows. If there's regulation and limits and we can only tell certain types of
04:21stories and we have to tell others, that 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. What have been the recent big European successes and, you know,
04:36what learnings are you taking from that? We 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. And it worked
04:47so well
04:48because of its authenticity. Let's say you try to make a film in Spain and you cast it with people
04:55from
04:55everywhere. And you try to make it for everybody. You end up making it for nobody and nobody watches
05:01it. And so we've, we've learned that this authenticity and really speaking to a specific
05:07audience is the way, not just to appeal to them, but to appeal to everyone. Wow. Okay. So forgive me
05:12if I've misunderstood. You essentially are choosing an audience that you want to make something for,
05:17making it purely for them. And then if it's popular elsewhere, that's a bonus.
05:22Exactly. Exactly. Because if you don't make it for someone, you'll end up making it for no one. And
05:28this idea that there are global shows or global stories. If you look at some of our biggest global
05:34titles, Squid Game, that was commissioned by a team in Korea. And all they thought about was,
05:41let's make it an incredible Korean television series. And they weren't thinking about,
05:48well, how do we get the Americans to watch it? They were just thinking about making a great
05:53survivalist dark drama for Korea. And I think what people loved about it was it was so Korean
06:00and so authentic and so specific. That is incredibly fascinating. And Matt Damon recently spoke out about
06:06being asked by Netflix to repeat key plot lines in his films and because that, you know, people will
06:11be scrolling on their phones. And is this just how people consume content now and I'll be accepting it?
06:17Or is there something that we need to be doing better to engage audiences and keep them
06:21and away from their phones? We have to make stories that people love. I mean,
06:26it's very challenging to compete with so many other alternatives, not just on Netflix, not just from
06:32other streaming services, but from all of the distractions, gaming or social media.
06:38And so we have a hard job, right? We 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, you know, since I entered the
06:53business more than 25 years ago, which is how do we grab an audience and how do we keep an
06:57audience?
06:58What's changed is there's more competition for attention. But the big opening, you know,
07:05sequence in an action movie to pull people in, that's been a strong part of creating action movies
07:11since the 70s. So that hasn't changed. It's just something we're really reminded of,
07:16because when we don't do it well, people move on and choose something else.
07:25And now, Larry, Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world. We all know this.
07:30But I'm really interested to hear how you see your role, because do you see yourself as having
07:36any sort of mandate in 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. It's a simple statement,
07:46very hard to do, because the world, let's just take Europe. There's such variety in tastes. There's
07:53such variety of experiences. And by the way, your tastes change even by the time of day. Your taste on
08:00a
08:00Saturday night for what you want to watch versus on a Wednesday midday are very, very, very 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
08:30is going to get watched. So we really have to think about what's going to appeal to the audience.
08:35At the same time, we have to lean on creative gut and instinct, because the most exciting stories
08:42are the things that no one ever could have thought of. And no data can ever tell you what to
08:47do. I mean,
08:48no data could ever have predicted that Squid Game, a survivalist drama from Korea, would be Netflix's
08:54biggest series ever. Just the data would never tell you that, right? Or I'll give you a more recent
09:00example. Adolescence was one of our biggest shows in the world for Netflix this year, but we can't
09:07make adolescence again. So 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
09:18totally unique and 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
09:26that you think is absolutely wonderful, but people might not immediately watch it? And so will that
09:30mean that you will never commission again? Or would you give it time and say like a year on,
09:34it might suddenly be huge?
09:35Well, some things take off really, really fast. I mentioned Squid Game. It was incredible how a Korean
09:42series exploded and people all over the world were watching. Many of them had never watched a Korean
09:49series before, but things do often take a bit more time to percolate. And obviously we have a really
09:56strong personalization system on the service that helps audiences find what to watch. But word of mouth is
10:04so powerful. So, I mean, you can imagine when I go to a dinner party, mostly people are asking me,
10:11what should I watch next on Netflix? And then my wife always laughs because I'll say, okay,
10:16tell me like four or five things that you really, really loved. And then I'll recommend some things
10:21to you. So sometimes she calls me the human algorithm, but it's only because I've seen so many
10:26things. And 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. And so it's always a fun party trick.
10:38But, and what I love is when people come to me and say, you know, oh, I just discovered the
10:43chestnut man from Denmark. And I say, oh, that's so cool. I mean, that launched like four years ago,
10:49but you just discovered it today. That's one of the things I think we don't talk about that much.
10:54It's usually about new, new, new, and 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 the job didn't exist when I was, you know, starting out my
11:19career. So I
11:20never would have people said, did you always want to do this? And I will often say, I don't know,
11:25because Netflix didn't exist, and this job didn't exist. But, you know, I studied psychology,
11:33and I've never lost that fascination and that curiosity about what makes people connect with
11:39something. And when I started in Hollywood, I was able to work running Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's
11:46company. So I also got very close to how the best writers and actors and directors think about
11:53storytelling. And so I really came from that creative and producing side, not really from the corporate
12:00side of the industry. And so it also then made sense for me to move my family to Amsterdam in
12:072019
12:08to help grow and 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
12:18success because you really want to understand how people tick and think. And so when you're building
12:23your teams, what is it that you're looking for in those local teams? Do you want other people like
12:29you or is there other skills that you really value?
12:31I want people very different from me. And we have that. And when you look at our teams,
12:37they're all different from each other, of course. But what is in common is people who are super
12:44passionate about storytelling and finding the next great story. And they have that curiosity,
12:52but also experience and relationships with the best storytellers. And also they're kind of plugged
13:00into what's happening in society. If you develop a film script right now, like that film's not going
13:06to come out for maybe two years. You can't just try to play on trends of the moment. You have
13:13to think
13:13about what is something people are going to be interested in talking about. So if you have
13:17The Secrets We Keep from Denmark, it's a great kind of mystery thriller. And it talks about this world
13:25of wealthy people. And there are nannies who basically raise their kids. And there's a crime
13:32and someone goes missing. And it's a really fun story. But it plays into a big theme in Denmark,
13:38which is, you know, what does it mean to have a nanny raise your kids? And what does it mean
13:43to be a
13:43parent? And okay, and by the way, it then worked all over the world, because it's a very universal
13:48theme. But those executives and those teams really need to be like deep in the creative community,
13:54not just in the talent side, but also in terms of what the audience might respond to.
14:00Interesting. Okay. So when again, when we're thinking about these skills that you have in your
14:03team, you know, we're hearing a lot about how AI is changing the workforce. And you know,
14:07the skills that we need for the future of our work. And so how do you think it's going to
14:11shape
14:12Netflix? It's changing so many things. But great screenwriter is a great screenwriter with or
14:19without AI. And a powerful AI screenwriting tool will never be as great as a great screenwriter.
14:27And a great screenwriter, maybe using AI tools could be even better. So I think it's that combination
14:34of really, really great talent and more powerful tools, which, by the way, is it's sort of the story
14:41of our industry. I mean, if you go back over the last few decades, we've had, you know, digital
14:46camera innovation, you've had incredible innovation in visual effects and CGI animation. And I think
14:55what those have enabled is for storytellers to tell bigger and bolder stories. And I see AI as pretty
15:03similar. There are these tools that are becoming more and more powerful. And if we can put those tools in
15:10the hands of great storytellers, I think that combination will yield very bold and big scope
15:17movies and series maybe that we've never seen before. But then it comes back to the people,
15:22which is creativity and critical thinking and collaboration. These are all the people skills
15:31that AI can never replace. And so I'd say we're really doubling down on that and on the on the
15:38talent piece that can utilize these tools to tell great stories. Because, you know, at some point,
15:45AI tools will further democratize production and storytelling, which is really, really great.
15:51But then you have a lot out there. And then I think the best talent more than ever will rise
16:00to the top.
16:00Yeah. And so it's it's my job and it's our job at Netflix to find that talent and support them
16:08and
16:08nurture them and find those great stories and bring them out to audiences all over the world,
16:13however they might have come together. OK, so it feels it feels quite exciting.
16:17Yeah. We're not scared. We're not scared. OK, brilliant. And so finally, we call it we're
16:22uncomfortably excited. That's what we like. OK, yeah. Finally, Larry, you know, I think in your
16:28career, you've worked at multiple places and it feels like you've always been there at kind of
16:31a moment of change for the industry. Right. So we're in this digital age and industries are transforming.
16:38Where do you see TV, film and content evolving to next? Well, since I joined Netflix and throughout my
16:44career, I agree, I've been at these moments of change. And one thing I love about Netflix,
16:50when I joined over a decade ago, we were innovating and changing and trying new things.
16:56And that's continued over these 10 plus years. And that's where we are today, which is how can we
17:03look at audience tastes and changes in behavior and these incredible, powerful AI tools and think about,
17:12OK, how does that change what we make and how we make it? I mean, ultimately, it all comes down
17:18to
17:18the same thing. And this has been a theme that's true throughout my whole career is people love a
17:25great story. And if you can find the storyteller and equip them and enable and support them and then
17:32bring that story to a bigger and bigger audience, it's really magic. Brilliant. Well, and on that note,
17:39thank you so much for joining me in the studio today. And thank you so much for your insights.
17:43Thanks so much, Hannah. This was really fun.

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