Netflix is to open an office in Poland later this year that will serve as its hub for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
“It’s been seven years since we started the Netflix journey in Central and Eastern Europe – a region with deep creative traditions and brilliant creative talent,” said Larry Tanz, Netflix EMEA’s vice president of original series. “In 2016 we localised our service in Poland. Soon after that Netflix became available in Romanian, Czech, Hungarian, Croatian and Ukrainian.
“The Netflix office in Warsaw is a natural next step for us and will help build long-term cooperation in the region as well as deepen existing ties, creating new opportunities for content creators and producers,” he added.
“The creativity and potential of the local industry make Warsaw a great place to base our business across Central and Eastern Europe.”
Since Netflix launched locally in Poland in 2016, the streamer has invested more than $100M in the region, creating at least 2,600 jobs on shows and films including The Woods, Sexify, Rojst ‘97 and the critically-acclaimed Operation Hyacinth.
Poland has also acted as a production hub, with major titles such as Extraction 2 and Shadow & Bone shot in the region, while Netflix has also licensed content in the likes of the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.
“Today marks another milestone in our journey in Central and Eastern Europe, bringing us even closer to our members and creative partners,” said Tanz.
Netflix has been pushing deeper into Europe, commissioning more shows from major territories such as the UK, France and Germany as it faces stiff competition from the growing number of streamers.