I sat in the large conference room at Netflix HQ in Los Gatos, surrounded by other shareholders, board members, and executives. Many were attending digitally from all over the world.
Usually I would join remotely for these quarterly report meetings, but I'd come in person to finalize the DC Studios partnership with Netflix. After this I was going to travel to San Francisco for a book event where I would speak and reveal the release date for Fire and Blood.
Reed Hastings, Netflix's CEO, stood at the front of the room beside a large screen. Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, sat nearby, flipping through notes.
Reed had begun his presentation a few minutes earlier, and I had tuned out initially. Then I paid attention as he talked about the business.
"As of Q3 2016, Netflix now has 110 million subscribers worldwide," Reed announced. "That's an increase of 28 million subscribers in the past year alone."
Oh that's good, I thought. I was pretty sure it was much less back in my old life. Or maybe not. I didn't really know about this stuff.
Polite applause rippled through the room; I clapped as well I'd made some suggestions that may have helped with this big surge.
Reed continued. "Our domestic subscriber base has grown to 52 million, while our international subscriber base has exploded to 58 million. For the first time in Netflix's history, our international subscribers now outnumber our domestic subscribers."
Applause broke out again.
"This is a monumental shift. International growth is now our primary driver, and we're seeing particularly strong performance in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. India, Japan, and South Korea are emerging as major markets for us." He paused, letting that sink in. "We're now available in over 190 countries, and we're not slowing down. By the end of 2017, we project we'll surpass 130 million subscribers globally."
More applause.
Ted Sarandos stood and took over. "Our revenue for 2016 is projected to reach $9.2 billion, up from $6.8 billion last year," Ted said. "That's a 35% increase year-over-year. Our operating income has also grown significantly, and we're continuing to reinvest heavily into content."
He clicked to the next slide, which showed a breakdown of content spending. "We're spending $6.5 billion on content in 2016. That's more than any other platform, and we're not slowing down. In 2017, we plan to increase that to $8 billion."
I nodded, remembering how I'd made sure that Netflix didn't just outright cancel shows like they used to. I'd pushed for the altered contract method where less-performing shows were given smaller budgets and fewer episodes, but also given a chance to either improve or end properly. That way, the "Netflix cancels everything" meme didn't exist. People were happy that the shows they loved had proper endings, even if they were quicker than expected.
Ted's tone shifted, becoming more animated.
"Our original content strategy is paying off. The Crown and Stranger Things these shows are driving massive engagement and bringing in new subscribers."
He paused, then grinned.
"Stranger Things, which premiered last month, became one of the most-watched shows of the year. It generated over 14 million views in its first month alone. We've already greenlit Season 2."
To be honest, I'd never really gotten into that show. I'd only seen like an episode of it in my old life. But I watched it here with Margot, and I found it... fine. Didn't love it, but fine.
Applause broke out in the room.
"We're also investing heavily in original films," Ted continued. "We're working with top-tier talent directors, writers, producers to create exclusive content that can only be found on Netflix."
Midas included I thought with a small smile.
Reed took over.
"Now, let's talk about our future content, the exclusive content that will bring us to whole new era."
The screen displayed a single image: the title of Game of Thrones.
"Game of Thrones," Reed said, looking directly at me as did many others in the room.
"As you know, Mr Adler" he pointed toward me "has sold us the rights to his best-selling series, A Song of Ice and Fire."
He went on to describe how much it had sold, how much of a phenomenon it was, and how it had become one of the most anticipated book-to-screen adaptations in years.
"The fanbase is massive," Reed said. "And this content will also draw in new viewers who may not have read the books but are hungry for high-quality fantasy storytelling."
Reed continued. "We're planning a 10-episode first season, with a budget exceeding $200 million. This will be our most expensive series to date. We're targeting a 2017 premiere."
Excited murmurs filled the room.
"Game of Thrones, we believe, will be our big fish—the show that takes us to new heights. Filming is underway, and so far everything is going great right on schedule and even under budget."
He looked at me. "And I'm sure the creator himself agrees."
I nodded with a smile. "It's all going well. We are going to make a lot of money, gentlemen."
Laughter and big applause erupted. Reed grinned and continued. "Mr. Adler's involvement in the future growth of this company does not end there.
"Due to Mr. Adler's position in DC Studios, we have officially partnered with DC Studios to be the home of their TV series in the DC Cinematic Universe, which will complement the highly successful DC Cinematic Universe."
More murmurs of excitement.
"At the beginning of this year, all the DC animated movies that DC Studios has released became available on Netflix. And soon, the entire DCU so far will be available as well. Netflix will be the home to many TV series that DC Studios will make."
"This partnership gives us access to one of the most valuable IP portfolios in the world," Ted spoke up. "DC characters are cultural icons, and having exclusive streaming rights positions Netflix as the premier destination for superhero content."
Big applause. Reed nodded, looking around the room. "This is just the beginning. With Game of Thrones and the DC partnership, Netflix is entering a new era, an era where we're not just competing; we're leading."
The room erupted in applause once more.
Selling the streaming rights to Victor's pet animation projects was a good start for the Netflix–DC partnership. The movies Wonder Woman, Batman: Year One, All-Star Superman, the Injustice animated movie all did very well on Netflix. And, from next month, all the DCU movies released so far will also be available on Netflix, with each film appearing on the service six months after its theatrical run.
The most important part, of course, was the TV shows that would need to start production.
Constantine was greenlit. This series would begin to explore the mystical part of the DC Universe. I wanted it to lead to a Justice League Dark movie in the future.
The next series planned was The Penguin, to further flesh out Gotham. A Green Arrow series was also discussed, but two factions had formed at DC one that wanted a movie and one that wanted a series. I was leaning toward a TV show; a movie wasn't in the cards for what I had planned.
The biggest and most ambitious project planned was a Justice Society of America series, which, as pitched by some within the studio, was incredibly ambitious on the scale of Game of Thrones, maybe even beyond it. I was all for it, honestly. But Victor, in his obsession with animation, wanted it to be part of his animated movie projects.
To take his sights off this very strong JSA live-action series, I nudged him toward a whole new thing. I had Matt draw some concepts for a Batman Beyond movie, rendered in the style of the Spider-Verse films from my old world. Those films probably wouldn't even happen in this one, but Batman Beyond could in the same animation style.
I was right: Victor was distracted. He basically decided to head the project himself and had even begun looking for release dates. So Batman Beyond was happening sometime after 2019.
Something else that would be created in this partnership, besides the series, would be some Elseworlds stories, maybe a short Gods and Monsters series, or even a full animated movie. Other Elseworlds possibilities included Earth X, Red Son, and Kingdom Come. I had even pitched an idea with DC characters set in a medieval fantasy world. The possibilities were endless.
I was broken out of my thoughts when Reed said my name again. "…Adler, again… we have partnered with Midas Productions to make two movies."
"Extraction and Bad Times at the El Royale, both starring Chris Hemsworth." He also mentioned that these movies would have a limited theatrical release, something they were considering to attract more elite directors and actors.
Applause.
Extraction was going into production soon, and I had some ideas to tie it into the John Wick universe to attract some of that fan base. I wasn't fully decided yet, but it was an idea maybe a small mention or cameo to see where it could lead.
The meeting ended with Reed explaining the company's future and saying it was now worth $74 billion and growing faster than expected. He wrapped up soon after, and the meeting ended following some discussion of shareholder concerns.
After speaking with a few execs and shareholders, I met with Reed and Ted and made Constantine and The Penguin official. They were also big fans of the JSA idea, feeling it would make Netflix the home of a major superhero team from the DCU.
As soon as everything was done at Netflix, I left for San Francisco. I arrived at the event in the evening. After my talk and a Q&A session, I finally unveiled Fire and Blood.
"So, I promised you I was writing a book that would detail the Targaryen reign from Aegon to Aerys." There was applause from the auditorium.
Then someone loudly shouted, "Where is Percy Jackson?!"
That got big laughter. I laughed too and felt a little stunned. I had indeed promised a new series of books four years ago, and I had not even started properly writing it.
"I mean… it's coming as well," I said weakly. More laughter.
"Getting to the matter at hand—" I paused again, rubbing my face. More laughter. "Okay, okay. Fire and Blood will show the story and history of House Targaryen, along with the rest of Westeros from Aegon's Conquest to Robert's Rebellion. It will be released in two volumes: the first one now, and the next one after the fifth book."
I paused for effect. "This will keep you all busy until I finish A Feast for Crows."
The title drop caught everyone by surprise. "Oh yeah, that's what it's called," I said with a grin. "Next year it will be released along with the TV series premiere."
Big applause as I took it all in. Then I realized something I knew would have Lucy kill me.
Okay, maybe saying it was next year was a mistake, I thought. I may not be able to actually do that.
Fuck.