New Delhi: Netflix has partnered with the British Library as part of a programme connecting books, television and public libraries. The collaboration focuses on promoting reading and helping audiences discover the literary works that have inspired the films and series.
The partnership is linked to the United Kingdom’s National Year of Reading 2026, an initiative aimed at encouraging people to read and engage with literature. It brings together Netflix’s screen adaptations and the British Library’s role in preserving and promoting books and literary culture.
As part of the agreement, the OTT platform will also donate books behind several of its film and television adaptations to 100 public libraries across the UK. The initiative includes titles such as Frankenstein, Heartstopper, One Day, The Thursday Murder Club and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The partnership also includes events featuring filmmakers and actors involved in Netflix adaptations. On 21 September, the British Library hosted a conversation with Florence Pugh and Zoe Kazan about East of Eden, Netflix’s upcoming limited series based on John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel.
The seven-episode series follows the Trask family and focuses on Cathy Ames, played by Pugh, who abandons her husband Adam Trask after giving birth. Kazan adapted the novel for the series and serves as its executive producer. The series is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on 1 October.
The latest campaign was launched in response to declining reading habits. According to the National Literacy Trust’s 2025 survey, only 32.7 per cent of children and young people aged eight to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time, marking a 20-year low. Netflix has cited the rise in book sales following screen adaptations as an example of the connection between the two formats.
Netflix shared that after the release of its One Day series in 2024, sales of David Nicholls’ novel reportedly increased by 4,452 per cent, from 3,216 copies in the 26 weeks before release to 143,193 copies in the following 26 weeks.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)