Licensed Shows Now Drive Over Half of Netflix's New Subscribers | Chart

Netflix estimates that it will spend $20 billion on content this year, which is a 10% increase from last year. And while the cost of Netflix's originals often gets the spotlight, Parrot Analytics' Streaming Economics data shows that licensed programming is outpacing originals in driving subscriber growth. The streaming giant remains fiercely committed to marquee original programming, but when we look under the hood of customer acquisition, second-run shows and live partnerships are punching significantly above their weight. Since the first quarter of 2025, licensed series have . . .