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The Frame

How 'Ultimate Beastmaster' fits into Netflix's global strategy

The Netflix reality show "Ultimate Beastmaster" has 12 hosts from six different countries.
The Netflix reality show "Ultimate Beastmaster" has 12 hosts from six different countries.
(
Netflix
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A daily chronicle of creativity in film, TV, music, arts, and entertainment, produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from November 2014 – March 2020. Host John Horn leads the conversation, accompanied by the nation's most plugged-in cultural journalists.

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How 'Ultimate Beastmaster' fits into Netflix's global strategy

Netflix has come a long way from the days when it just sent subscribers DVDs in the mail.

After becoming a streaming service, Netflix soon started producing its own scripted TV shows, feature films and documentaries — and now it's making a big push in the reality TV genre.

Here’s a taste of the new Netflix reality competition show called “Ultimate Beastmaster":

It may look a bit like NBC's "American Ninja Warrior," but what sets it apart is its global reach. The show features 108 contestants and 12 hosts from six different countries.

Instead of making an American version, waiting to see if it succeeds and then duplicating it in other countries, Netflix is producing six different versions of "Ultimate Beastmaster" at once. 

Netflix's global audience will soon surpass its U.S. subscribers, and for the company to reach its goal of 300 to 400 million customers, Bloomberg entertainment reporter Lucas Shaw says, "Most of those new signups are going to come from somewhere other than the U.S."

"You always have to look at Netflix's programming from the perspective of a company that is really programming for the world at the same time," Shaw says. "Whereas most other TV networks are programming for the U.S. first, and then hoping that their shows work everywhere else."

To hear the full interview with Lucas Shaw, click the blue player above.