Young adult dramas have always been pivotal to Netflix’s programming. Think of massive global hits such as “Stranger Things” and “Outer Banks.”
Now, the streaming giant wants to make it easier for viewers to find them on its vast and eclectic platform.
Netflix recently launched a new hub for YA content that includes several hundred titles of original or licensed movies and shows about the coming-of-age stories of young adults.
The genre is popular with viewers: 23 young adult titles made Netflix’s global top 10 list this year. Those include the third season of “XO Kitty,” about a young woman studying in Korea, and an ice skating drama called “Finding Her Edge.”
Since 2023, Netflix said its YA shows and movies have generated more than 10.5 billion global views. The programs also are buzzy on social media, with YA titles representing 30 percent of Netflix’s most-talked-about titles since 2022, according to the company.
“It’s just been really clear that this audience has a voracious appetite, and they really look to Netflix as a premier destination for these types of stories,” said Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of scripted series for U.S. and Canada.
Hunger for YA content
Netflix is not alone. The genre has become increasingly important to streamers as stories about first loves, high school drama and coming-of-age tales connect with a wide demographic, from young people to older generations. The third and final season of “Euphoria” ranks among HBO Max’s three most-watched returning seasons. Amazon Prime Video in June held a fan event for its YA series and films called “Obsessed Fest.” “Off Campus,” which launched in May, reached 36 million viewers in its first 12 days on Prime Video, according to Amazon.
Disney+, Paramount+ and HBO Max have also released young adult titles, including “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” “School Spirits” and “Euphoria,” whose third and final season was among HBO Max’s most popular.
“There’s just this hunger for this kind of content that’s very relationship driven and set in a time period of growth and struggle and really figuring yourself out,” said Sarah Lampert, creator and executive producer of Netflix YA series “Ginny & Georgia.”
Growing competition
The young adult push comes as Netflix faces growing pressure from investors to increase the amount of time people spend on the service. To that end, Netflix has diversified the type of content it offers, adding games, video podcasts and live events like NFL football games to its platform.
Still, the streamer’s stock is down 35 percent from a year ago, as competition from other platforms has grown.
YouTube in particular remains a formidable rival, representing about 14 percent of streaming-watch time by U.S. viewers on TVs, compared with Netflix’s 8 percent in May, according to Nielsen.
Despite the competition, Netflix’s original programs still dominate the most-watched streaming lists.
What sets Netflix apart is its large library of content, said Alejandro Rojas, a vice president with Parrot Analytics.
“Netflix has so much more content than some of the other competitors that in every category, they’re always going to be either the leader or be close to leading in that category,” he said.
New crop of shows
More shows are on the way. Netflix recently announced two new YA shows, the supernatural mystery series called “Sid & Zoey,” about an amoral teenager who is sent to live with a police chief and his family and develops a mutual attraction with the chief’s daughter, and “Sunshine Girls,” about a teenager who moves from New York to the suburbs of Valley Hills, California. The series will launch in December.
Another young adult drama debuting later this year is “Minimum Wage,” which focuses on teens managing part-time jobs and love triangles. Comedian Randall Park plays an eccentric boss of a pizza shop.
Many credit the growth of Netflix’s young adult content to its bet on the sci-fi series “Stranger Things,” which launched a decade ago with a cast of unknown child actors and first-time showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer to become one of its most popular shows ever.
The series ended last year, and Netflix is rolling out a new crop of YA shows.