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Netflix (NFLX) Renews Period Drama Bridgerton for Season 2

Netflix NFLX recently renewed its hit regency era drama, Bridgerton for a second season slated to return to production in spring of 2021.

Season 2 will showcase the pursuit of a suitable marriage for the eldest Bridgerton sibling, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) as chronicled in the second book of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, The Viscount Who Loved Me.

Markedly, the Bridgerton book series consists of eight novels, each revolving around the love life of one of the Bridgerton siblings. Van Dusen, who is the executive producer of the show with Shondaland’s Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, has indicated that he would like to follow the format with a season dedicated to each of the brothers and sisters.

Markedly, season 1, based on the first book in Quinn’s series, The Duke and I, centered on the complicated romance between the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett portrayed by Regé-Jean Page.

Redefining period drama and romance genres while breaking conventions on race, season 1 of Bridgerton is anticipated to have gained viewership from 63 million households within 28 days of its release on Dec 25, 2020.

Diversified Content Aids Subscriber Growth

Netflix is benefiting from strong popularity of its original content portfolio that has helped the streaming service to attract subscribers amid coronavirus-induced shelter-in-place practices.

Per a research from JustWatch cited by 9TO5 Mac, Netflix dominated the streaming market with 31% market share in the fourth quarter of 2020 in the United States compared with streamers like Amazon’s Prime Video service and Disney’s DIS Hulu who captured 22% and 14% of the market share. Meanwhile, new entrants such as Apple’s Apple TV+, Comcast’s Peacock, HBO Max and Disney+ recorded 3%, 6%, 9% and 13% of market share, respectively.

Markedly, Netflix added 8.51 million new subscribers globally in the fourth quarter, well ahead of the company’s guidance of 6 million additions. Netflix now has 203.7 million paid subscribers worldwide, up 21.9% year over year. This is the first time that the company topped 200 million streaming subscribers. For the full year, Netflix added 36.6 million streaming customers — its highest annual gain — beating its previous record of 28.6 million in 2018.

Netflix’s fourth-quarter content slate included the new season of The Crown as well as Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit. Regional content included Barbarians (Germany), Sweet Home (Korean), Selena: The Series and Alice in Borderland (Japan).

Markedly, Selena: The Series made to the top 10 list in 23 countries and stayed on that list in Mexico for 26 consecutive days. Also, it was ranked #1 on the top 10 list in the first week of its release in the United States.

Moreover, Netflix released its original film The Midnight Sky in the reported quarter. Other movies included were Over the Moon, We Can Be Heroes, Holidate and The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two.

Original Content to Help Netflix Sustain Momentum in 2021

Netflix is expected to strengthen its original content offerings of TV series, documentaries and feature films across various genres and languages in 2021 to combat intensifying competition in the steaming space, which is expected to reach $184.2 billion by 2027, per Grand View Research.

Solid growth prospects of the streaming market have attracted prominent tech and media companies including Discovery DISCA, which joined the online streaming market earlier this month with Discovery +, featuring content from channels including Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV and TLC.

Moreover, ViacomCBS VIAC recently announced that it will relaunch its CBS All Access service as Paramount+ on Mar 4 in the United States. The company will leverage the combined portfolio of content from CBS, Viacom and Paramount Film Studios.

Markedly, Netflix plans to release at least one new original film every week in 2021. Netflix’s releases for the first quarter of 2021 include season 3 of Cobra Kai, Lupin as well as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 3, the finale of the trilogy.

Additionally, the content portfolio includes Fate: The Winx Saga, Yes Day, Sky Rojo and Space Sweepers slated for 2021 release.

Moreover, earlier this month, Netflix established two new production facilities in Korea, which further boosts its international presence. Notably, from 2015-2020, the company invested $700 million in Korean content with more than 80 shows produced in the country.

Further, the company announced that it will be the exclusive streaming platform for Taiwan’s highest-grossing movie of 2020, Little Big Women, which will be available to the audience from Feb 5.

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