ABSTRACT
An examination of the role played by the subscription-based streaming platform Netflix in relation to the American indie film sector, this chapter considers a number of ways the company has been seen as having either a positive or negative impact on this part of the film landscape. It considers the role of Netflix as a significant buyer and producer of indie films, activities through which it became a substantial new force in the indie economy from the 2010s. While some have welcomed a new influx of cash, others have voiced concerns about a distribution model that usually means no, or only very limited, release in theaters; higher upfront payments for some filmmakers are weighed against the surrender of the possibility of receiving the larger “back-end” revenues that might traditionally come from cross-over box-office successes. This chapter also considers the concerns of some that individual films risk disappearing into the huge Netflix catalog, balanced against a view that films might also gain from the company’s recommendations algorithm and that Netflix has been seen by some as having a commitment to issues of equality and diversity. It concludes that no clear-cut judgment is possible, with the benefits or threats presented by Netflix depending on the perspectives from which they are viewed.
