Netflix is celebrating 10 years in South Africa by looking firmly to the future. The streaming giant unveiled an expansive slate of upcoming South African series and films at a press showcase in Rosebank, Johannesburg, bringing together Netflix executives, filmmakers and on-screen talent to mark a decade since the service launched locally in 2016.
The milestone represents more than simply 10 years of South African titles on the platform. According to Netflix, its local partnerships have supported more than 8,000 jobs through collaborations with more than 30 South African production companies, while more than 300 local titles have become available on the service over the past decade.
“Ten years ago, we set out to share South African stories and voices with the world and today, we are proud to strengthen our partnership with the local creative industry and continue creating exciting stories that will entertain our members in South Africa and around the world,” said Ben Amadasun, VP of Content for Netflix Middle East and Africa. “Our slate ahead keeps that ambition alive with the addition of established names alongside bold new production partners across genres from unscripted to thrillers, family dramas and comedy.”
Since its South African debut, Netflix has played an increasingly visible role in putting local stories in front of international audiences. Shows and films including ‘Blood & Water’, ‘Young, Famous & African’, ‘Unseen’, ‘Silverton Siege’, ‘Fatal Seduction’, ‘How to Ruin Christmas’, ‘Beauty and the Bester’, ‘Marked’, ‘Kings of Joburg’, ‘Blood Legacy’, ‘The Polygamist’ and most recently ‘Umthetho’ have showcased South African talent, production expertise and stories rooted in local culture.
Those productions have been filmed across 20 cities in eight provinces, highlighting a breadth of South African locations and communities while helping local stories travel far beyond the country’s borders.
One of the clearest examples of that global appetite came with ‘The Polygamist’. The Johannesburg-filmed series generated more than 24 million views in its first weeks, reaching Netflix’s Top 10 in 62 countries and ranking No. 1 in more than 21 countries. The show’s impact even extended back to its literary source. Based on Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi’s 2012 novel of the same name, ‘The Polygamist’ helped drive renewed interest in the book, with sales tripling following the Netflix debut, more than a decade after the novel was originally published.
What’s coming next?
Netflix’s next chapter in South Africa will see familiar franchises return alongside new stories and new creative partnerships.
Fans can look forward to Season 2 of ‘Blood Legacy’, launching Sept. 25, while ‘Seriously Single Too’ and ‘Another Disaster Holiday’ are also set to arrive later in 2026. The streamer has additionally confirmed ‘Tuiskoms’ Season 2, ‘Marked’ Season 2 and ‘Meet the Khumalos 2’, all of which are currently in various stages of production.
The How to Ruin universe is also expanding with ‘How to Ruin Diwali: Meet the Parents’, premiering Oct. 30. The new series brings another cultural spin to the irreverent franchise, following an interracial couple whose engagement brings their two very different families together. Produced by Burnt Onion Productions in collaboration with filmmaker Jayan Moodley, best known for ‘The Kandasamys’, the series promises a mix of romance, family drama, cultural clashes and plenty of comedy, drawing on the rich South African Indian family dynamics that have become a signature of Moodley’s work.
Netflix is also leaning further into reality programming, introducing a number of new partnerships and formats. Power couple Dineo and Zothile “Solo Ntsizwa” Langa have been announced as the hosts of ‘Love Is Blind: South Africa’, produced by afrOkaans, with the series set to arrive later this year. Another reality title on the horizon is ‘Stars & Vows: Anele and Buzza’, a wedding docu-soap from Dopezuluboi Productions, while BrightFire Productions is developing a brand-new dating reality show for the platform.
To celebrate it’s milestone 10th anniversary with audiences, Netflix has also launched a dedicated collection titled ‘A Decade in Africa: Worth Every Watch’. Available across Sub-Saharan Africa from September through December 2026, the collection brings together South African series and films alongside fan favourites from across the continent, global titles that have resonated with African audiences and projects featuring global talent with African roots.
Ten years after Netflix first arrived in South Africa, the platform’s local story is no longer simply about bringing international entertainment to South African screens. It’s about what happens when South African creators, performers and production companies get the opportunity to tell their stories to the world.
