Former New Jersey Army Base to Be Turned Into a Major Netflix Production Facility

Reports on the latest financial step showed that Netflix bought the Fort Monmouth base located in the south of Midtown for $55 million. The property is said to be 292 acres. The former Army base in New Jersey will serve as the company's production hub on the East Coast. The streaming franchise known for blockbuster projects like Stranger Things and Wednesday plans to transform the property with a whopping sum of over $800 million. The new studio will include twelve soundstages.

Per NY Post, Netflix's co-CEO and chief content officer, Ted Sarndos made it known that the new studio is aimed at boosting both local and state economies. He relayed:

New Jersey's governor Phil Murphy spoke on the development noting the positive effect of Netlfix's investment. He relayed that it would create over 1,500 permanent production jobs as well as 2,500 construction jobs. He further stated that Netflix's presence in the state will "solidify its status as an emerging national; leader in the television and film industries." Murphy relayed that the investment will also serve as a catalyst for housing, hospitality, and film-related businesses.

While plans are underway to put the new structure together, it has been revealed that the new studio will be built in two phases, and it would spread over the course of serval years. The company's director of content, Rajiv Dalal stated that the franchise "definitely needed an East Coast production hub" due to past experiences from working in New Jersey.

Dalal noted that his sentiment was based on the talented crew from New Jersey, "multiplicity of great scenic backdrops, and the availability of land. According to Dalal, more of the decision drivers include the proximity of major metropolitan areas. The new project when completed will join Netflix's facilities in Brooklyn, Georgia, California, New Mexico, British Columbia, and Toronto. The studio in Brooklyn was launched back in 2021.

Come 2023, Netflix intends to disable the password-sharing feature on the streaming platform. In time past, subscribers have been allowed to share their passwords with multiple people once payment has been paid for streaming films and TV projects. It has been stated that the new development will go into full effect in 2023.

Compared to the boom in finances for Netflix amid the pandemic, the company has recorded a drop in subscribers as many have returned to their places of work. This in return reduced the number of users following the pandemic lockdown. The password-sharing feature will be removed as a tactic to boost subscriber figures going forward.

There are plans to set up systems that will stop subscribers from sharing their passwords with devices outside their homes, except if they make extra payments and provisions for such. Presently, the measure has been effected in Latin American countries. It includes validation codes on the login pages, and the option to add a second user.

The new policy is yet to be effective in the United States and other parts of the world, and it is also unclear how Netflix plans to pull it off. It is also unclear how much the streaming company intends to charge for accounts and passwords to be shared. The password-sharing feature will no longer be available at no cost and the implication of this is that subscribers will either have to pay more or users will create more accounts.

While it is yet to the implemented generally, it is not known if this new policy is long-term. However, the outcome would be such that Netflix might experience a further dip in users. but another look at the performance of shows like Stranger Things and Wednesday would be a pointer that this policy might be successful.