Casual Films Inside a Bigger Strategy: Investigating the Film Production Agreement Between Mediaset and Netflix

In October 2019, a partnership was announced between Italy’s main free-to-air commercial broadcaster, Mediaset, and global digital platform Netflix. A press conference, attended by senior managers from both companies, Italian actors, directors, scriptwriters and other celebrities involved, was the perfect photo opportunity for signing the deal and gaining media attention. Both parties benefited: Mediaset was established as a major local partner and increasingly international conglomerate, while Netflix vaunted its connections and investments in one of its many local markets. Seven films were announced, then produced and distributed: various companies were involved, and the films spanned a wide spectrum of genres. This chapter contextualises the deal within Netflix’s wider relationship with the Italian film and audiovisual industry, delineating these projects’ trajectory and local impact against the backdrop of an historical transformation in the production and distribution of that kind of mid-range cinema in which Mediaset has been a key player for decades. Through the testimonies of selected professionals involved in the agreement, analysing release and scheduling strategies, gathering available data, and exploring the promotional logic and the critical reception, this chapter probes this case history as an example of the constantly negotiated, sometimes random, often contradictory logic underpinning the first steps in the relationships between global players and national markets, exploring the impact on the value and recognition of made-for-platform films.