Netflix is to reinforce its significant investment in India’s booming media sector through its new Netflix India Storytelling Initiative.
The streamer’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos met Indian prime minister Narendra Modi this week to discuss the scheme, which is described as a multi-phase investment in India’s creative talent pipeline.
Through strategic partnerships with key Indian institutions, the initiative aims to provide the skills needed to build the next generation of creative talent across the country.
In the first phase, Netflix will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies to co-develop an industry-ready curriculum in visual effects mastery and media technology workflows. It aims to provide young people with skills aligned to evolving production needs.
In the second phase, Netflix will partner with the National Film Development Corporation to build a talent pipeline to help make Indian content as accessible as possible to international audiences. It includes training for audio-description writers and voices to make series and films more accessible for audiences with visual and hearing impairments.
Netflix hopes the initiative will create new pathways for emerging creators while strengthening India’s position as a global hub for entertainment production and creative innovation. As well as the TV sector, it is also set to benefit the gaming, visual effects, animation and comics industries.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Netflix launching in India. During that period, the platform has created more than 200 local originals filmed in over 100 locations.
In February, the platform unveiled a bumper slate of local programming, including reality format Lock Upp and romcom series #Love.
Sarandos said: “India has always been one of the world’s greatest storytelling nations. Over the past decade, we’ve had the privilege of seeing Indian stories connect with audiences not just across India, but around the world.
“As we begin our next decade here, we believe our greatest investment is in the people who will tell India’s next generation of stories.
“The Netflix India Storytelling Initiative reflects our long-term commitment to strengthening India’s creative ecosystem by creating more opportunities for emerging creators, because investing in creators is investing in India’s creative future.”
Netflix is the latest US tech giant to zero in on India’s production sector after Google this week held an AI filmmaking workshop in India at the studios of Yash Raj Films in Mumbai.