The California-based streaming behemoth Netflix, which is known for shows like Crown and S*x Education has is under talks to double the size of its productions units at the world-famous Shepperton studios in London acquiring 435,000 sq. ft. of additional space. The studio intends to expand its capacity from 14 stages to 31, although all of them will not be used by Netflix. Netflix is currently using Shepperton to film shows such as Enola Holmes 2.
The new space will be ready for production in 2023.
The online platform is committing more than $1 billion (£740 billion) in 2021 for its UK production budget, approximately some 10,000 people are working on Netflix’s original productions in the UK currently.
“The new contract with Shepperton highlights our commitment to investing in the UK creative industry and will provide a wealth of opportunities and production jobs, from entry-level to heads of department.”, said the VP of Physical Production at Netflix UK and EMEA, Anna Mallett.
The space which was committed for the expansion has a strategic location, close to one of the busiest airports in the country, Heathrow Airport. The company said it has agreed to a ‘long term contract’ with Netflix.
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Chairman of the Pinewood Group, Paul Golding said, the commitment is a testimony and “endorsement of our operational expertise and enables us to continue our investment into this great studio”.
With the rising popularity of online platforms, as a source of content consumption, Netflix has been looking to expand its own production network rapidly around other countries as well.
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