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Netflix has recently added Spanish-language shows on its service in the US. And the company says American subscribers are loving it.
"We've licensed a lot of programming from Latin America into the US, and are getting incredible viewing," Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a call with shareholders today. "Shows that are successful for us in Mexico are now drawing huge numbers for us in the US."
Netflix has been able to reach a new demographic of users in the US, Sarandos says, by offering shows that originate in Latin America—and can assess what kinds of other content these users might find interesting. "We're getting hundreds of thousands of hours a day on single shows," Sarandos adds.
I started watching a Mexican program to keep up with my kids who are in dual-language kindergarten at school. Regrettably the plot advances at the snail's pace of all soap operas. Can any Soylentils recommend Spanish language shows on Netflix for our crowd?
Original Submission
(Score: 1) by Francis on Saturday July 18 2015, @05:18AM
I think he's being ridiculous, but by the same token, we do seem to bend over backwards for people that refuse to learn English. I fail to understand why we should be so accommodating of Spanish speakers when there are so many other languages spoken by immigrants that don't receive anywhere near the level of attention and accommodation that Spanish speakers get.
And it's not healthy. It's not acceptable for people to live in a foreign country for more than a year without being able to get by on a daily basis in the language of the country. If you don't mind doing a lot of pointing, even 6 months is too long to go without speaking. Granted for things that are more complicated, interpreters and help may be needed, but it's gotten way out of hand.
Personally, it took less than 6 months and about 3 weeks of classes before I could mostly get along in Chinese. Granted I couldn't hold up a conversation, but I could get by and for most normal day to day activities I could manage without any English. So, it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about. My Mandarin still sucks, but I've met too many people in the US who haven't even managed that after years living here.
The other thing though is that Spanish is by far the most accessible language in the US for learners. I'm not suprised that there's the most interest in Spanish language shows, I've largely given up on getting much German or Mandarin language programming legally as it's just not for sale without really looking for it. Even people who do speak English and are just looking for foreign languages as a diversion are more likely to look for Spanish just because it's so much more likely to be there than any of the other 8 top 10 languages out there.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 18 2015, @07:49AM
This. You can't go to Germany or Spain or France and expect to live there as a citizen in normal society without learning the local language. You can't go live in Mexico without learning Spanish.
Immigrant populations that are economically and socially successful in the US learn English quickly. You won't find many Vietnamese immigrants or Cubans or Chinese who can't hold a rudimentary conversation with you in English. Hell, Rubio is a second generation Cuban and is running for President.
Then you have the Mexicans. Not all of them, but a major chunk. No English.