Amazon Lagging Behind Netflix in Original Programming

March 18, 2020 Mansha Daswani

New data from Omdia indicates that Netflix launched nine times more original programming than Amazon last year.

In 2019, Netflix released 2,701 hours of original content, while Amazon Prime Video had 314 hours, according to the Omdia Original Online Production Report—2020. Netflix had a total of 657 first-run original titles; Amazon had 70.

The Omdia report also found a huge increase in Netflix’s original content output compared with 2018, with the number of hours up 78 percent and titles up 70 percent. Omdia says that Amazon’s hours declined by 18 percent and titles decreased by 5 percent.

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“Rather than competing head-on, Netflix and Amazon are in very different businesses—as illustrated by the original programming results from 2019,” said Tim Westcott, research director for channels and programming at for Omdia. “Netflix is a pure-play subscription streaming business that needs to fuel its continued international growth; Amazon is first and foremost a retailer, using video as an add-on to its Prime delivery business. In pursuit of its streaming strategy, Netflix is evolving into a Hollywood-style studio, building its defenses against the likes of Apple and Disney+ by offering an increasing volume of original programs.”

Netflix also dramatically increased its international output, with non-U.S. hours rising from 578 in 2018 to 1,562 last year. For the first time, most of Netflix’s original content was produced outside the U.S. in 2019, accounting for 58 percent of total hours.

“Netflix sourced a majority of its original content outside the United States in 2019, but there is more to this phenomenon than simply driving international growth,” Westcott said. “Of course, local productions help to drive international growth, but Netflix is a global platform seeking content that can appeal to audiences all over the world. Non-U.S. productions tend to be a lot cheaper, giving Netflix a more cost-effective way to address audiences in the United States and across the globe.”