Netflix has vowed to increase its original content in 2021 -- despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, in an interview with Variety, insisted that the streaming service is still on track to produce a variety of new series and films in the coming months.
"This year, we’ve got The Crown [Season 4, premiering Nov. 15] and other originals; that's all stuff filmed pre-COVID," Hastings said. "Next year, we've planned out the year--we've got a great selection of content. It’s still more originals than this year."
He went on to explain that the amount of new content is "not up by as much as we first forecast, but it is up on a year-over-year basis," adding, "Of course in Europe we’re producing, in Asia we’re producing. We’re all hopeful for a vaccine, so we can get back to more intensive work."
Hastings also addressed rumors that there will never be a space for live sports and gaming on the streaming platform. "You know, it could. I doubt news, but sports, video gaming, user-generated content -- if you think of the other big categories, someday it could make sense," he revealed. "But right now, Ted’s [co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos] got every billion dollar earmarked for bigger movies, bigger series, animation of course. At least for the next couple of years, every content dollar is spoken for."
Among the original series currently streaming on Netflix are The Crown, Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, Virgin River, The Witcher, Outer Banks and Sweet Magnolias.