Netflix, it’s time to deepen your embrace of romance.
That’s one takeaway from a new report that crunched the numbers on how many viewing hours Netflix gets from different genres versus how much money it spends on them.
The report by media veteran Hernan Lopez, founder of research firm Owl & Co., shows that Netflix gets the most bang for its buck from genres including romance, comedy, and kids and family. The report is based on Netflix’s engagement reports and data from Ampere Analysis.
Those three categories generated 41% of Netflix’s viewing hours in the first half of 2025 but only 29% of its “content amortization,” a measure of costs. That signals those genres outperformed their peers in attracting viewers.
Romance represented 14% of viewing hours and 11% of content amortization. Steamy romances have been powering growth in the book industry for the last few years. This report suggests there might be similar room to run for Netflix, which has had breakthrough hits in the genre like 2024’s “Nobody Wants This,” about a romance between a rabbi and a podcast host. It also comes as Hollywood is trying to understand the recent boom in “mini-drama” soaps, which are meant to be viewed on your phone and are full of plots about werewolf husbands and billionaire suitors.
Comedy and kid-focused content look similarly undervalued. Netflix has made recent moves to beef up its kids’ programming, such as signing popular YouTuber Ms. Rachel.
Netflix has become the go-to streamer for many fans of crime and thriller content. The genre was Netflix’s single biggest category by viewership, contributing 27% of its viewing hours. However, it also made up 31% of its content amortization, suggesting the streamer might have been overpaying.
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Netflix has greenlit a lot of crime and thriller shows because it’s such a popular genre, but it’s possible the streamer has hit a point of diminishing returns with the category, Lopez said.
Cost-efficiency per view isn’t the only factor that goes into how Netflix spreads its $18 billion content budget around. Netflix execs have said that their goal is to serve diverse, global audiences with a wide variety of content, and with more than 300 million global subscribers around the world, that’s a lot of people and tastes to cater to.
Netflix also considers shows’ ability to generate awards and impact, which boosts its brand. This helps attract new members and promotes talent relations. And as Netflix reaches saturation in the US, it has to find new audiences and expand its fledgling advertising business.
“It’s one reason Netflix is expanding into live, because they’re seeing it’s an acquisition driver and brings viewers it hasn’t captured before, even if it tends to seem more expensive,” Lopez said.
