Netflix Originals Thrive as Disney's Content Leaves Platform

(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Appetite for Netflix Originals is on the rise, according to a new study from 7Park Data. According to the firm, original content accounted for 37 percent of Netflix’s U.S. streams in Oct. 2018, up from 14 percent in Oct. 2017 and 13 percent in Jan. 2017.

This increase in traffic to its exclusive content comes as Disney and WarnerMedia ready the launch of their own streaming services, which has led Disney to pull its content (including programming from Fox) from the platform.

Netflix has spent an estimated $13 billion on content in 2018 with the goal of creating over 700 original projects. Many have questioned if Netflix Originals will be able to sustain an audience that has become accustomed to binging licensed content such as “The Office” and “Family Guy” (before it found a new home on Hulu, which Disney owns a stake in).

Also Read: 'Jack Ryan' Attracted Nearly 40 Percent of Prime Video Users in Its First Month, Data Firm Says (Exclusive)

Fox’s content once accounted for 21 percent of U.S. streams in 2017, a number that currently sits at 4 percent largely due to the migration of content from Netflix to Hulu.

Despite the rise of Netflix Originals, licensed content still holds a strong value for the streaming giant. Four of its top 10 shows for the month of November, per 7Park Data, were licensed programs. “The Office” came in as the streamer’s number one series, “Friends” at number three, “Grey’s Anatomy” at number four and “Criminal Minds” at number 10.

Check out Netflix’s top 10 series by stream starts below.

7Park Data passively collects desktop web viewership from an anonymized opt-in global panel of 3.5M viewers (across Netflix, Hulu and Amazon) – 3 million of which are from the U.S. This particular study was based on approximately 600,000 U.S. Netflix viewers.

Kirk Douglas' 10 Most Memorable Movies, From 'Spartacus' to 'The Man From Snowy River' (Photos)

The acting legend (and father of Michael Douglas) died Wednesday at age 103. Here's a look back at his biggest roles in Hollywood.
Champion (1949)

Douglas earned his first Oscar nomination for playing the dogged boxer Midge Kelly in a black-and-white drama written by Carl Foreman ("High Noon").
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Ace in the Hole (1950)

In one of Billy Wilder's most cynical dramas, Douglas plays a ruthless journalist who exploits a mining disaster -- even sabotaging rescue efforts -- to prolong the media frenzy.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1951)

He earned his second Oscar nomination playing another cad -- this time a power-obsessed Hollywood producer said to be modeled on David O. Selznick.
Lust for Life (1956)

In a departure from his cynical big-screen roles, Douglas brought real sympathy to his portrayal of tortured artist Vincent Van Gogh in Vincente Minnelli's biopic -- and the actor earned his third Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Douglas plays outlaw Doc Holliday to Burt Lancaster's lawman Wyatt Earp in John Sturges' classic Western about the famed shootout in Tombstone, Arizona.
Paths of Glory (1957)

Again playing against type in Stanley Kubrick's antiwar movie, Douglas brims with decency as a French colonel in World War I who fights against an unfair court-martial of his men.
Spartacus (1960)

Douglas hit a career high as a rebellious Roman slave in this historical drama whose onscreen revolt had a real-life parallel. The actor also produced the blockbuster film and his very public hiring of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo helped to break Hollywood's blacklist of Communists.
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)

Douglas counted this Dalton Trumbo-penned Western as his personal favorite, and he gave a memorable performance as a New Mexico cowboy who was more of a drifter than a guy rooted in the land.
Seven Days in May (1964)

In John Frankenheimer's political thriller, Douglas plays a longtime military officer who begins to suspect that his nuke-obsessed general boss (Burt Lancaster) may be plotting to overthrow the president.
The Man From Snowy River (1982)

Douglas plays twin brothers -- a one-legged gold prospector and a wealthy cattle rancher -- in George Miller's coming-of-age drama about a ranch hand in 1880s Australia.