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[Commlist] CFP - 10 Years of Netflix in South Africa (2016-2026) - A Decade of Transnational Streaming, Storytelling, and Screen Culture

Fri Jul 25 08:39:19 GMT 2025





Call for Abstracts: 10 Years of Netflix in South Africa (2016-2026) - A Decade of Transnational Streaming, Storytelling, and Screen Culture

The year 2026 will mark ten years since Netflix officially expanded its global streaming services to South Africa, with its launch in January 2016 marking a significant turning point in the country's media landscape. This arrival was met with a mix of anticipation and apprehension, as a dominant international streaming giant entered a vibrant yet complex local broadcasting and film ecosystem that was just steadying following the end of apartheid in 1994. Prior to Netflix's direct entry, South African audiences had some exposure to global content through traditional broadcasters and limited video-on-demand services such as Showmax, which was introduced in 2015. However, Netflix's model of subscription-based, on-demand content, coupled with its ever-expanding library of original programming, introduced a new paradigm of consumption and content creation.

This call for abstracts seeks to gather scholarly and industry perspectives that explore the trajectories, challenges, and opportunities presented by a decade of Netflix's operation within the South African context. The envisaged outputs include a hybrid symposium in January 2026 and an edited volume or special issue. We invite researchers from various disciplines to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of how this streaming behemoth has shaped, and been shaped by, the unique South African media environment. We invite theoretical, empirical, and methodological papers that engage with, but are not limited to, the following thematic areas:

Content and representation:
The evolution of South African original content on streaming services, including Netflix Representation of South African identities, cultures, and languages on streaming services, including Netflix The impact of Netflix's content on local storytelling traditions and narrative forms. Transnational flows and cultural hybridity in Netflix's South African offerings.

Industry dynamics and economics:
Netflix's and other streaming services’ impact on the local film and television production industry: opportunities, challenges, and talent development.
The economic implications of Netflix's investment in South Africa.
Competition and collaboration between Netflix and local broadcasters/streaming services (eg Showmax, DStv). Business models, subscription trends, and audience monetisation in the South African streaming market.

Audience and consumption:
Changing media consumption habits and audience fragmentation in the audiovisual streaming era.
The demographics and psychographics of Netflix subscribers in South Africa.
Audience engagement with Netflix content (e.g. binge-watching, fan cultures, social media discourse). The digital divide and access to streaming services in South Africa, considering factors like data costs and internet penetration.

Policy, regulation, and ethics:
Regulatory challenges and responses to international streaming services in South Africa (e.g. discussions around a “streaming levy” and local content quotas by ICASA and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies)
Data privacy, algorithmic bias, and ethical considerations in streaming.
The role of streaming services like Netflix in promoting or hindering media pluralism and diversity. Censorship, content moderation, and freedom of expression in the streaming age.

Cultural and societal impact:
Netflix's influence on South African popular culture and social discourse.
The global reach of South African stories via Netflix and its implications for cultural diplomacy and tourism.
Netflix as a platform for challenging or reinforcing stereotypes.
The role of streaming in shaping national identity and global connectivity.

Submission Details:
We invite abstracts of no more than 300 words, clearly outlining the research question, methodology, and key arguments. Please include a brief biography (100 words) of the author(s) and their institutional affiliation.

Key dates:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 4 August 2025
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 20 August 2025
Full Paper Submission Deadline: 15 December 2025
Hybrid symposium: January 2026
• Publication: Mid 2026

Submission email:
Please submit your abstracts or inquiries to:
Associate Professor Sisanda Nkoala ((snkoala /at/ uwc.ac.za) <mailto:(snkoala /at/ uwc.ac.za)>)
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