Netflix scripted-series executive Jinny Howe tells Banff audience company is “not slowing down” TV spending plans

Netflix told attendees at the Banff World Media Festival it does not plan to reduce its scripted-series content investment as it prepares new programming for the U.S. and Canada, according to an address delivered by Jinny Howe, head of U.S. and Canada scripted series. In a keynote at the festival, Howe said Netflix was continuing to spend on television content, describing the company’s approach as not “slowing down.”

Howe used the festival, a major industry convening in Canada, to discuss Netflix’s slate direction for the region, including development of a new hockey romance. Netflix announced that the new scripted series, titled “Ice Breaker,” will draw on hockey as a central element of its storyline, positioning the project within the company’s broader mix of genre programming and unscripted and scripted offerings.

The remarks were made by Howe in her capacity overseeing scripted series for U.S. and Canada, and they were presented as part of Netflix’s ongoing efforts to engage Canadian and international production stakeholders. The keynote was framed around Netflix’s planning for scripted development and how the streamer intends to keep production moving forward for audiences in both markets.

Howe’s statement about pacing came amid industry scrutiny of streaming spend levels and the production cycles that follow platform budgeting decisions. Netflix’s messaging at Banff emphasized continuity in its scripted investment plans, rather than a pause, while also highlighting the company’s intent to keep adding titles for viewers and to keep production partners in its regional pipeline.

The address also placed “Ice Breaker” on the public industry record as a concrete upcoming project tied to Netflix’s hockey-themed romance approach. The company’s communication at the festival described the title as a new addition to its scripted slate, with Howe presenting it as part of Netflix’s forward-looking development agenda rather than a previously announced release detail.

Following the keynote, industry stakeholders are expected to watch how Netflix’s continued scripted-series spend messaging translates into commissioning timelines and production partner selection for U.S. and Canada projects. Netflix’s next steps would also include routine updates that typically follow development announcements, including casting and production timing, although specific dates and schedules were not detailed in the reporting.

In the meantime, Banff festival attendees received the clearest direct statement in the reporting about Netflix’s budget stance from the executive overseeing U.S. and Canada scripted series. Howe’s comments positioned “Ice Breaker” as a representative example of Netflix’s ongoing development, while the “not slowing down” language served as a message of stability for the scripted content pipeline.