Netflix sets up Nordic hub in Sweden

US streamer Netflix has opened an office in Sweden to service its platform in the Nordics.

The Stockholm office will serve as a hub for Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland, while a small team will also set up base in a satellite office in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

The office will join existing Netflix European bases in Amsterdam, Madrid, Berlin, London, Paris and Brussels, while new hubs in Rome and Istanbul and due to open later this year.

Netflix has long commissioned original series from the Nordic region, including Swedish shows Quicksand, Love & Anarchy and Snabba Cash; Ragnarok and Home for Christmas from Norway; three seasons of The Rain and the newly announced The Chestnut Man from Denmark; and Icelandic sci-fi thriller series Katla, which arrives later this year.

Last year the streamer released Cadaver, its first film from the region, and it will soon be joined by movies Dancing Queens, Vinterviken, Against the Ice, Troll and Black Crab.

Lina Brouneus, who joined Netflix from Scandi streamer Viaplay as director of acquisitions and coproductions for EMEA in 2018, said: “By the end of this year nearly 70 original titles coming from the Nordics will be available on Netflix – films and series that have been enjoyed by the four million-plus members across the region as well as our members right around the world.

“Today’s news is part of our growing commitment to the production of original local content all over Europe. With offices in Amsterdam, Madrid, Berlin, London, Paris and Brussels, and with Rome and Istanbul opening later this year, our Nordic hub will allow us to strengthen our many creative and cultural partnerships across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland, to work on a growing offer of series and films throughout the region, and to bring even more diverse local stories to life for our members around the world to enjoy.”