By Fanuel Viriri
Netflix’s investment in South African film and television is paying off, with the streaming giant’s latest local hit, The Polygamist, racking up more than 23-million viewers in its first month.
Reporting earnings for the six months to end-June 2026, Netflix said 223.2-million hours had been consumed by author Sue Nyathi’s television adaptation of The Polygamist.
“Since its global release on June 12, our South African supernovela has taken the world by storm, spending five consecutive weeks in the Netflix Global Top 10 for non-English shows and peaking at the number 2 spot with an incredible 23.1-million views through to July 12,” the company said.
The video on demand service described The Polygamist as a “breakout series”, saying it had reached the Top 10 in 62 countries, including the US, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, and the UK.
“The supernovela also hit the coveted number 1 spot in 21 countries, including Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Nigeria and South Africa.”
Netflix said the success reflects its broader strategy of investing in local productions to grow its paying customer base. The world’s largest paid streaming service, with about 325-million subscribers, spent R4bn on content in South Africa between 2021 and 2024, implying an investment rate of R1bn a year.
The strategy has paid off with other local titles such as Blood & Water, Unseen and Fatal Seduction also breaking through Netflix’s Global Top 10 in previous years. One Piece remains its biggest production in Africa to date in terms of scale and budget, covering South African labour, infrastructure and suppliers.
While R1bn a year is significant locally, it is a fraction of Netflix’s global spend. The company has a $17bn (about R280bn) production budget for 2025.
“Great stories can come from anywhere and find a global audience, with non-English titles again making up more than a third of all viewing,” Netflix said.
“Powerhouse slates from Korea, Japan, Spain and India continue to lead the charge, alongside breakout local hits finding massive audiences in South Africa (driven by _180_ and The Polygamist), Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Norway, Thailand, Italy, and Denmark.”
