Latin American Streaming Originals Surge on Netflix and Prime Video | Charts

As competition for subscriber growth heats up in saturated North American and Western European markets, major streaming platforms are increasingly turning to other regions — not just as new subscriber pools, but as hubs of creative innovation capable of producing globally exportable intellectual property. A prime focus of this shift is Latin America (LatAm), where local-language content in Spanish and Portuguese is a tool to engage with local audiences.

According to data from Parrot Analytics’ Content Panorama, the release of Spanish and Portuguese streaming originals has surged by 266% between 2020 and 2024 — outpacing the 178% growth seen in other languages. Netflix initially dominated this space but was overtaken by Amazon Prime Video in 2024, reflecting the competitive dynamics shaping LatAm’s content landscape. LatAm represents the smallest region in quarterly net additions over the last five quarters for Netflix.

Disney+ and Max have also been investing in creating a presence in local LatAm languages over the last years. Disney+ started releasing content in these languages in 2021 and has drawn on its global storytelling expertise to produce content catering to local young audiences. Most Disney+ originals in the region come from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Some examples are the Argentinian thriller “The Absent Voice (La Voz Ausente)” and the Brazillian romantic comedy “Bia And Victor: Love Of My Life (Amor da Minha Vida)”.

Max, on the other hand, has leveraged its robust regional partnerships and production capabilities to roll out different titles focusing on diverse local LatAm from reality shows — such as the Mexican version of “My 600-lb Life,” locally known as “Kilos Mortales México” — to sports documentaries about Brazilian soccer players and skateboarders. 

While local-language content remains essential for engaging LatAm audiences, its share of the regional streaming market has faced growing competition from the rising popularity of Korean and Japanese content. Across Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, and Disney+, Spanish and Portuguese content accounted for nearly 25% of the revenue generated by non-English content in LatAm in Q1 2023, according to Parrot Analytics Streaming Economics. By Q3 2024, this share had dropped to 21.7%, driven by the surge in supply and demand for Korean dramas and Japanese anime in the region.

Rather than signaling a decline in the importance of local content, this trend highlights the growing sophistication of LatAm’s streaming market and the expanding cultural preferences of its audiences. For streaming platforms, the challenge moving forward will be to strike a balance between developing authentic, locally resonant stories and adapting to the evolving tastes of a dynamic and diverse viewer base.

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