They're trying to fill the vacuum left by shows they once licensed cheaply and easily. It's all fanning out to other services on better terms. If they don't do

They're trying to fill the vacuum left by shows they once licensed cheaply and easily. It's all fanning out to other services on better terms. If they don't do this, their library keeps shrinking and dropping in quality. Enough people like Netflix's originals to keep them from losing paying customers as licensed content flees, so it seems like a wise investment.