Netflix has created a $2 billion economic impact in India since 2021: Ted Sarandos

Mumbai: Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on Friday declared India to be on the brink of a global storytelling breakthrough, citing the country’s creative momentum and Netflix’s deepening role in shaping its cultural and economic landscape. 

Speaking at the Government of India’s inaugural WAVES 2025 in Mumbai, Sarandos joined actor Saif Ali Khan in a fireside chat titled Streaming the New India: Culture, Connectivity & Creative Capital.

Sarandos revealed that Netflix’s investments in India from 2021 to 2024 generated over $2 billion in economic impact. “That’s all the jobs created, skills developed, and infrastructure supported. We’ve filmed across 100+ towns and cities in India across 23 states and collaborated with over 25,000 local cast and crew,” he said.

The session highlighted the rapid rise of Indian storytelling on the global stage. Sarandos shared that an Indian title featured in Netflix’s Global Top 10 (non-English) every week of 2024, with more than 3 billion hours of Indian content viewed globally on the platform, averaging nearly 60 million hours per week.

“India is on the cusp of a major inflection point in storytelling—just like Korea was before Squid Game,” Sarandos said. “For years, Korean content spoke to a local audience and diaspora; then came a moment that opened the world’s eyes. I believe India is headed toward that kind of global breakthrough.”

When asked about advice for Indian creators trying to go global, Sarandos emphasised the power of authenticity. “If you try to engineer something to be global, you end up making it for no one. The stories that travel the farthest are always the most locally authentic... Nothing will work outside of India if it isn’t loved within India first.”

Joining the conversation, Saif Ali Khan spoke about how streaming has reshaped the artistic process. “Thanks to streaming, we can explore characters in a very different way. The kind of longevity that streaming offers is a gift for an artist—it is a creative playground with no school bell,” he said.

Sarandos also addressed the evolving dynamic between streaming and theatrical releases. “India is one of the most fan-centric markets, which makes this coexistence possible. Most people just want to watch great stories—the real question is, how do we get those stories to them?” He praised India’s early adoption of fast-tracked streaming releases post-theatrical runs, calling it a model of “democratising access to film.”

Looking ahead, Sarandos teased a robust Indian slate with upcoming titles such as The Royals* and The B*****s of Bollywood, while also plugging global crowd-pullers like Squid Game: Season 2, Stranger Things: Final Season, and Wednesday.