Netflix Announces “The Netflix Effect,”Highlighting Global Economic, Cultural and Social Impact

 Manal Saleh

May 12th, 2026: Netflix has announced its significant global footprint, The Netflix Effect, revealing the scale of its economic, social and cultural impact worldwide over the past decade, an impact that has expanded over time to reach across economies, industries, and everyday life.

According to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos in his official statement, ten years ago Netflix expanded its entertainment service from 60 countries to more than 190 in a single day, with the ambition of “bringing great stories from all over the world to people all over the world.”

Over the past decade, Netflix has invested more than $135B in films and series, contributing over $325B to the global economy including the Arab Wold, and creating more than 425,000 jobs through its productions alone. Behind these figures are thousands of creators, workers, and partners, including writers, directors, technicians, small business owners, local communities, and Netflix audiences around the world.

As Ted Sarandos noted on the announcement of Netflix Effect: “At the time, there were plenty of headlines about how Netflix was going global. But we knew that the best way to be global was to start off intensely local.” He highlighted how production activity has created jobs, supported local businesses, and generated impact that extends far beyond the screen. Key examples include:

●       KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most popular original film of all time, sparking a global cultural wave. The song “Golden” earned the first-ever Grammy for a K-pop track, while the film also received two Academy Awards®. Duolingo reported a 22% increase in Americans learning Korean, alongside a 25% rise in flight bookings to South Korea.

●       Stranger Things in the United States, which created more than 8,000 production jobs, including over 200 stunt performers during its final season alone, and involved more than 3,800 vendors across nearly every U.S. state. Certain filming locations, such as Bradley’s Olde Tavern in Jackson, Georgia, have also become cultural landmarks for fans.

●       The European versions of Love is Blind, filmed in the small city of Strängnäs outside Stockholm, where the town transforms for up to 40 weeks a year into a production hub, supporting lighting and sound crews, set designers, makeup artists, and others, while also driving activity across hospitality, dining, transport, and related services.

●       The four seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer have contributed over $425M to the Californian economy, employed over 4,300 cast and crew, and filmed at over 50 different locations across Los Angeles — including Dodger Stadium and Grand Central Market.

●       Club De Cuervos in Mexico, produced in 2015 as Netflix’s first original series outside the United States, marking a foundational step toward producing content across more than 4,500 cities and towns in over 50 countries worldwide.

●       The Colombian thriller Frontera Verde, filmed deep in the Amazon rainforest, which involved local community members across production stages, with 30 of the 150 crew members coming from the local Amazonian region.

Over the past decade, Netflix films and series have continued to influence what audiences read, listen to, eat, wear, and play. They have helped bring older songs back to music charts, increased interest in niche sports, and boosted demand for products like chess sets.

Sarandos added: “Netflix believes its partners are the foundation of its identity. Through their powerful storytelling, audiences are drawn to watch and engage with their work more deeply.”

Netflix continues to build on this momentum through ongoing investment in content, spending tens of billions of dollars annually, expanding production facilities, and growing the entertainment industry through training programs in the Arab World and other countries that have reached more than 90,000 people across over 75 countries.