"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," about the title characters' 1989 murders of their parents, quickly shot to No. 1 on Netflix, and just as quickly sparked backlash from people the show portrays over its accuracy. This highlights the rising tension between creative storytelling and factual representation in true-crime content, emphasizing Netflix's struggle with balancing subscriber engagement and the legal risks of defamation."
The Wall Street Journal's count shows over 20 defamation suits filed in the US against Netflix and its production partners since 2019 over real-life stories. This indicates a significant rise in litigation that has augmented production costs for Netflix, but this has not dissuaded them from pursuing true crime genres, which evidently captivate their sizable audience.
Guy Bisson, executive director of Ampere Analysis, noted that among the six biggest streamers, crime titles have seen the biggest percentage increase this year, making up one-fourth of all global, scripted, first-run content. This points to a market trend where streaming platforms prioritize crime fare due to high viewer engagement.
Despite the rising defamation lawsuits and increasing production costs, Netflix's unwavering commitment to true-crime shows illustrates the platform's strategic focus on genres that enhance subscriber engagement, reinforcing their market position against competitors like Hulu and Peacock.
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