Title Sharing Is Welcomed in Thailand

Recently, a series debuted on Netflix that I thought would never be shown in Thailand. It’s not that the series was objectionable in any way. It was the drama series Yellowstone, a modern western series starring Kevin Costner. 

I thought it was unlikely ever to be shown in Thailand because the original streaming service that produced the series was Paramount+, a streaming service unavailable in Thailand unless you used a VPN to access a country where the streaming service operated. 

Netflix negotiated a deal with Paramount+ to carry the hit series in Thailand, although, in other countries, Peacock is the NBCUniversal streaming service carrying the series. Although the issue of international streaming rights is a confusing one, it begs the question: why isn’t this title sharing happening with other popular series?

More Title Sharing Please

There are over two hundred streaming services worldwide and eighteen high-quality, on-demand streaming services showing varied content, including self-produced movies and series. Thailand has nine. Viewers in Thailand are often frustrated to hear about some new popular title, only to find out it’s unavailable to streaming viewers in the country. 

Setting up the infrastructure to launch a streaming service may be cost-prohibitive for any number of reasons, which may be the main reason for the lack of a variety of services. However, you’d think that streaming services already existing in the country would be actively pursuing the world’s most popular titles. It would give those already operating a tremendous boost in viewership. Netflix has become number one worldwide because of the huge gamble it took in offering streaming in so many countries. Let’s hope they continue to gamble by investing in sharing more of the world’s most popular titles.