With nearly 150 million subscribers around the world, Netflix has a commanding lead in the streaming wars. But it’s also facing heavy competition from deep-pocketed conglomerates like Disney, Apple, and AT&T, and an ongoing wave of narrow, targeted streaming sites like CBS All Access and DC Universe, which can draw on popular existing franchises for original content. As fewer companies are willing to license out their films and shows to other streaming sites, Netflix is pouring billions of dollars annually into its own original content. Follow along with The Verge as we look at Netflix’s new films and shows, its evolving strategies against new entrants in the market, and how it’s leveraging its technological and marketing lead.
Netflix hired a guy to sit inside a Hollywood billboard and promote its new movie, The Last House, which follows “a family mysteriously sealed inside their home.”
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Though there were rumblings David Fincher was developing an English language Squid Game spinoff for Netflix, The Playlist reports that those plans have been scrapped.
The streamer just put out the first trailer for Below, a limited series about a sea monster in a small fishing village, which also includes Josh Hartnett doing a serviceable Newfoundland accent. It starts streaming on October 8th.
Netflix continues to add live events to its programming lineup, and next up is a chance for fans to go up against darts champion Luke Littler. It’s streaming on October 30th.
Netflix just released a trailer for the “two-part, multi-brick” Lego One Piece special premiering on September 29th, which will recap the first two seasons of the live-action One Piece, narrated by Usopp.
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As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix said in an SEC filing that it paid “approximately” $587 million to acquire a company in March — the same month Netflix announced its deal for InterPositive.
[The Hollywood Reporter]
That’s what Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call when asked about potential plans to launch free, ad-supported streaming.
“A free offering could make sense in some markets,” Sarandos said, adding that the streamer has “no near-term plans to launch something.”
The streamer announced its next TV game, called straightforwardly Netflix Minigolf, which is described as pinball meets minigolf, and features courses based on shows like Stranger Things and Squid Game. It launches on July 28th, and follows other recent experiments like the interactive horror game Unhinged.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the partnership also includes new episodes of Mythical Kitchen and Last Meals, and follows similar deals to bring other YouTube shows to Netflix, like content from digital media brands. Mythical Entertainment’s shows will begin premiering on the same day on both platforms starting September 7th.
[The Hollywood Reporter]
Did you see that Bloomberg report yesterday about the Netflix shows that fall way off in their second season? Our friend Ryan Broderick over at Garbage Day has a good take on what’s going on — and why it’s about more than just production times.
Even though a Netflix show isn’t supported by the same revenue model as a YouTuber like MrBeast, the (losing) formula for producing content appears to be the same. They’re both using historical data to iterate and pump out videos that are, at first, equally popular, but eventually less sticky culturally and then eventually less popular.
[Garbage Day]
One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Beef, and The Night Agent have experienced big season 2 slumps, with some losing up to 70 percent of their audience, according to Bloomberg.
Netflix is reportedly trying to figure out the reason for the dip, which The Guardian has linked to the streamer’s binge-release model and a focus on subscriber growth. What do you think is contributing to the dropoff?
Last week I wrote about Unhinged, a fascinating horror experience from Netflix that’s part of the streamer’s push into TV-based games. Well, now you can experience it for yourself, as it launches today.
Fresh off the reveal of Persona 6 comes a report that Netflix is working on a live-action adaptation of the series. There aren’t many details yet, and the streamer has yet to confirm, but Christopher Monfette — who has worked on series like Picard and the upcoming VisionQuest — is attached as writer.
As promised, Netflix has released the first trailer for the sequel to its Cyberpunk 2077 anime Edgerunners. The new season will tell a standalone story, and the first look is full of blood, guitars, and some delightfully retro shots. No specific premiere date yet, but it’ll start streaming in the fall.
Netflix announced an animated Ghostbusters series several years ago, and it’s finally showing signs of life. The streamer just released the first image for Ghostbusters: Night Shift, which is set in 1994, stars a new group of busters, and is set to premiere some time in 2027.
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In addition to the anime series that’s been running for 25 years and its own live-action adaptation, Netflix will premiere its The One Piece anime series in February 2027. While showing off the first trailer (and a trailer for Cyberpunk Edgerunners S2 that will apparently debut on the 29th), Netflix said global anime fandom on the service grew to 1.5 billion views in 2025.
(Update: Added date for Edgerunners S2 trailer.)
The Roku Netflix Player was originally a streaming box that then-Netflix CEO Reed Hastings decided not to build.
Now Semafor reports Netflix was interested in acquiring the company before Fox closed its $22 billion deal, losing out once again after Paramount swooped in with a deal to buy Warner Bros. while enjoying a cozier relationship with this administration’s regulators.
The streaming service’s new multiplayer FIFA title — part of its burgeoning library of TV games — launches on June 11th, coincidentally the same day the World Cup kicks off. Netflix also has the US rights for the next two women’s World Cups starting in 2027.
Netflix’s next animated series, Dealies, sounds like a weirdo version of Superstore. But it’s especially interesting as its co-creator Joe Bennett was behind both Scavengers Reign and Common Side Effects. No word on when it’ll start streaming.
There is no war in Ba Sing Se in the new trailer for season two of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series. But there are plenty of action shots showing off how much more intense the elemental bending will be when the season premieres on June 25th.
Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath will “develop animated series and films exclusively for Netflix, with first-look rights for live action projects,” according to a press release. Their latest film, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, debuted in April.
During its upfront presentation, Netflix offered a glimpse at its upcoming NFL games:
Netflix launched a new website in an attempt to highlight the impact of its films and TV shows over the past decade. Some stats shared by the streamer say Netflix contributed $325 billion to the global economy and created over 425,000 jobs for actors, writers, directors, researchers, and VFX artists.
We’re about to enter a busy few months for new science fiction shows, and one that I’m particularly excited about is The Boroughs, an extraterrestrial mystery that’s set in a retirement home and that also boasts one hell of a cast. It hits Netflix on May 21st.
Netflix has announced that The One Piece — Studio Wit’s upcoming reimagining of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic series — will debut some time next February with seven episodes that “will cover approximately the first 50 chapters of the original manga.”
The streamer confirmed that one of its biggest upcoming films — Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, helmed by Barbie director Greta Gerwig — will release in 2027. It’ll be in theaters on February 12th and stream on April 2nd, though it’s not clear just how long the theatrical window will last.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Tales From ‘85, the animated Stranger Things spinoff, but it evidently did well enough that there’s more in store. Netflix has confirmed it’s coming back for season 2, and it’s happening soon — it’ll start streaming this fall.
