**History and Evolution**:
– Netflix founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in August 1997.
– Idea for Netflix conceived during carpooling between Santa Cruz and Sunnyvale.
– Started as a DVD rental and sales website in 1997.
– Transitioned from a per-rental model to a monthly subscription concept in 1999.
– Went public in 2002, selling 5.5 million shares at $15 per share.
– Met with Jeff Bezos for a potential acquisition by Amazon in the early days.
– Launched as a mail-based rental business with 925 titles.
– First profit posted in 2003, earning $6.5 million.
– Introduction of streaming media service in January 2007 with 1,000 films available.
– Launched video on demand via the Internet in 2007.
– Development of the recommendation system, Cinematch, in 2000.
**Expansion and Global Reach**:
– Netflix Original productions accounted for half of its U.S. library by 2022.
– Available in over 190 countries with 260.28 million paid memberships.
– Became the 24th most-visited website globally by October 2023.
– Venture into video game publishing through flagship service.
– Licensed and distributed independent films through Red Envelope Entertainment.
– Expansion to Canada in 2010 and subsequent launches in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
– Exclusive rights deal with Disney for films in the US.
– Strategic partnerships with various studios and creators for original content development.
**Technological Advancements**:
– Initially planned a hardware device for movie downloads but shifted to streaming.
– Introduced Netflix Player for streaming content on TVs in 2007.
– Offered unlimited streaming to rental-disc subscribers in 2008.
– Launched Fast.com in May 2016 to test Internet connection speeds.
– Introduced offline playback feature for mobile users in November 2016.
– Supported audio description for the visually impaired in April 2015.
– Introduced Skip Intro feature in October 2017.
**Content Acquisition and Partnerships**:
– Signed deals with major studios like Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.
– Acquired rights to popular shows like ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars.’
– Content agreements with DreamWorks Animation, The CW, and The Weinstein Company.
– Formed partnerships with various creators and authors for original content.
– Acquired exclusive stand-up comedy specials and films like ‘The Cloverfield Paradox.’
**Strategic Ventures and Recognition**:
– Became the largest source of Internet streaming traffic in North America by 2011.
– Rebranded DVD service as DVD.com, A Netflix Company in 2016.
– Formed a political action committee (PAC) called FLIXPAC for engaging on key issues.
– Recognized with numerous Emmy nominations and critical acclaim for original series.
– Appointed Ted Sarandos as co-CEO in July 2020.
– Joined the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in January 2019.
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple languages.
 Logo used since June 13, 2014 | |
Screenshot  Screenshot of Netflix's English website in 2023 | |
Type of site | OTT streaming platform |
|---|---|
| Available in | 45 languages |
List of languages
| |
| Headquarters | Los Gatos, California, U.S. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Area served | Worldwide (except China, Crimea, North Korea, Russia, and Syria) |
| Industry | |
| Products | |
| Services |
|
| Parent | Netflix, Inc. |
| URL | netflix |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Users |  260.28 million (as of January 23, 2024[update]) |
| Launched | January 16, 2007 |
| Current status | Active |
| ASN | |
Launched on January 16, 2007, nearly a decade after Netflix, Inc. began its pioneering DVD‑by‑mail movie rental service, Netflix is the most-subscribed video on demand streaming media service, with 260.28 million paid memberships in more than 190 countries as of January 2024. By 2022, "Netflix Original" productions accounted for half of its library in the United States and the namesake company had ventured into other categories, such as video game publishing of mobile games via its flagship service. As of October 2023, Netflix is the 24th most-visited website in the world with 23.66% of its traffic coming from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom at 5.84% and Brazil at 5.64%.