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Ted Sarandos: No Data Could Have Predicted Squid Game's Success

Ted Sarandos: No Data Could Have Predicted Squid Game's Success
Ted Sarandos reveals no data could have predicted success of Squid Game: ‘Twice as expensive’ · indianexpress.com

The boss of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, said nobody could have guessed how popular the show Squid Game would become.

Even with lots of data and numbers, he said, no one could have predicted it.

A man named Hwang Dong-hyuk created Squid Game.

He first tried to make it as a movie and kept getting turned down for 12 years.

Then he turned it into a show for Netflix, which made it cost twice as much as any other Korean show.

Netflix's clever computer system saw that people were watching many episodes and showed the show to viewers all over the world.

In just three days, everyone on Netflix could see it, and a huge number of people loved it.

Mr. Sarandos said people should not use data alone to decide what shows to make, but data can help guess how big a show could be.

Squid Game became the most-watched show in Netflix history.

Key facts

Speaker
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix
Show
Squid Game
Creator/Director
Hwang Dong-hyuk
Development History
Developed as a feature film for over 12 years before becoming a Netflix series
Production Cost
Twice as expensive as any hour of Korean television ever produced
Premiere Date
September 17, 2021
Final Season
Third and final season released in June 2025
Record
Most-watched series in Netflix history; expanded into live experiences, gaming and merchandise

Quotes

Ted Sarandos

Netflix co‑CEO, Ted Sarandos

“"Nothing in the data would say to make Squid Game. Certainly not for a global audience."”
indianexpress.com

Sources

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