When Netflix debuted “Stranger Things” in 2016, it was so optimistic about the 1980s-era spooky thriller that it poured $50 million into promoting the show, much of it on Facebook. Yet when it came to the reboot last year of classic sitcom “One Day at a Time,” the marketing team didn’t even create a Facebook page until the show’s second season.
Netflix plans to boost its marketing spending more than 50% to $2 billion this year. But most of the money is going to promote shows seen as most likely to become hits—typically those with high-profile actors like Winona Ryder and Jason Bateman, according to current and former employees. And that is frustrating many television producers who complain their shows are getting ignored amid a glut of shows on the service.
