In this article, we examine developments in HBO’s original European productions based on a quantitative overview of production from 2007 to early 2020. We supplement this overview with an analysis of the generic changes during the past decade as well as a practical producers’ approach to remakes. The intention is not to analyse the specific series’ content; rather, we scrutinize genre, talent and remakes through the perspective of the HBO brand and the creatives behind the series. The main empirical material for this article is interviews with key informants and an exploitation of online resources. Altogether, this establishes both a historical overview of the productions and an up-to-date idea of how the transnational institution considers its own local endeavours.

Players in the European market have developed a series of transnational collaborations and practices in the cross-border production and distribution of audio-visual content, media ownership, regulation and audience reception. Transnational subscription video-on-demand platforms have also visibly increased their investments in original content, in their attempt to expand and maintain their international subscriber bases. Among them, Netflix has been particularly active in investing in European markets. This article traces the evolution of Netflix investments in European original scripted series produced between 2012 and 2020 and analyses the platform’s investment strategies in European markets through the lens of transnational television theory. The findings point to various elements of transnationalisation, placing European originals at the intersection between local and global, through market dynamics, strategic collaborations and content with transnational appeal. The findings also confirm the growing importance of rights retention and premium content offerings through the increase of big-budget commissions, particularly in developed European markets.

The European audiovisual market has unique contextual characteristics that constrain the sustainability and development of audiovisual content. Among other shifts, the rise of global subscription video-on-demand players like Netflix have been reshaping this market. Although Netflix has been investing in Europe, little is known about their actual investment strategies. This study’s goal is to analyse Netflix original investment in European scripted series and examine their implications for the European market. Based on a mapping of all European Netflix Originals, we identify four investment patterns. The analysis shows a significant uptake of Netflix investment, yet concurrently these reinforce existing discrepancies between large and small states in Europe.