Netflix to boost original series, films in and from Asia

Reed Hastings, left, CEO of Netflix, poses with Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix, during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, June 30, 2016. AP

SEOUL, South Korea — Netflix plans to expand its Asian offerings to its subscribers around the world by tapping more creators in Asia.

Netflix chiefs said Thursday that the U.S. streaming service company is looking at many projects throughout Asia, including original series by Asian creators.

Netflix invested in South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming movie “Okja,” its first Korean film project slated for launch next year.

It is also spending more to buy rights to distribute Korean drama. Starting this summer, subscribers in the U.S., Canada and Latin America will be able to watch “The Descendants of the Sun,” which was a blockbuster hit in China earlier this year.

The move is part of efforts to increase subscribers overseas.

Netflix has 81.5 million subscribers. It expects growth would come mostly from overseas. TVJ