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NetflixNetflix is the dominant streaming platform today, with more than 300 million subscribers. It pioneered the "bingeable" format after starting as a DVD rental company and now produces and releases hundreds of original shows and movies each year.
The company was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph and spent its first decade oscillating between survival and growth. It survived the dot-com bubble, went public in 2002, and emerged victorious in fierce competition with Blockbuster. As high-speed internet became pervasive, the company began streaming content directly to subscribers, letting them watch movies and TV shows instantly instead of waiting for DVDs by mail.
The company began offering original content in 2013 and launched its first prestige drama with "House of Cards." Hit franchises that followed included "Stranger Things" and "The Crown," among many others.Explore Netflix
What we've found
How a 2025 Netflix documentary reveals the contested view of the Vietnam WarBrian Knappenberger created a five-part, seven-hour documentary on the war released on the streamer in 2025, the latest in a tradition of hundreds of documentaries covering the event. Expert Thomas Bass, the author of the essay, was invited to be interviewed for the documentary, arguing the conflict's origins are the most crucial aspects to understand. In turn, Bass interviewed Knappenberger—whose father fought in the war—on the Netflix production. Their discussion revealed how streamers mediate historical understanding to a generation that does not have a consensus on what the Vietnam War was. The American ScholarHow Netflix's sound logo 'Tudum' was designed as a key sonic differentiatorThe Netflix sound logo—called by the company "Tudum!"—debuted in 2015 and has become one of the world's most iconic sound symbols, designed to provoke anticipation. An immense amount of creative work went into designing this three-second sonic marker, which is heard daily worldwide by millions. Key players in its existence weigh in on its creation in this absorbing episode. Twenty Thousand HertzA Netflix documentary ignited an omakase sushi crazeBefore 2012, edomae omakase was an expensive sushi experience that was not particularly popular in the US. That changed with “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” a 2011 film about the 85-year-old owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, an omakase restaurant with three Michelin stars, that earned rave reviews. Demand for omakase exploded, and restaurants responded by raising their prices. EaterA 2002 profile of unprofitable Netflix as it bet on a subscription modelThe streaming behemoth saw the potential in subscriptions early, and in this 2002 profile CEO Reed Hastings was already talking about plans to offer "downloadable" movies. The profile serves as a historical artifact confirming the startup's risky bets and showcases the contingent factors that led to its success. (Some users may experience a paywall.) WIREDThe 'second screen' effect has realigned the writing for Netflix's original showsAs more subscribers put Netflix on in the background, the company has encouraged more expositional dialogue in its original scripts. Filmmaker Justine Bateman claims the streamer doesn't "want anything on your show to distract [viewers] from their primary screen." PCMAGNetflix's 'KPop Demon Hunters' is the streamer's most-watched original movieThe 2025 film, which combines K-pop music and Korean mythology, became a big hit on the streaming platform. It was equally successful in its limited theatrical release, shooting to the top of the box office rankings. AP NewsNetflix is leaning into low-cost reality programmingThe streamer now produces far fewer scripted shows than it did in the past. Instead, it's focused more on low-cost, unscripted reality programming. Stat SignificantHBO inspired Netflix and vice versaNetflix’s pivot towards original, prestige content would not have been possible if HBO had not blazed that trail decades earlier. Ironically, HBO later used Netflix as a business model when reinventing itself as a streaming app. Business WarsHBO's success inspired Showtime, AMC, Netflix, and moreHBO’s success in the early 21st century bred plenty of imitators, who were now more willing to embrace darker, more challenging series like “Weeds,” “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “House of Cards.” The RingerThe real restaurant behind Netflix's ‘Nonnas’The Netflix movie "Nonna's" tells the story of a restaurant whose kitchen is staffed by grandmothers. While that might sound like an outlandish premise, it's based on a true story. This Time story goes behind the scenes of Enoteca Maria, the 35-seat restaurant on Staten Island that inspired the film. TIMEA Netflix docuseries turned the sport into a national obsessionThroughout much of its history, Formula 1 racing was a European sport that failed to ever find a major audience in the US. That changed with the “Drive to Survive,” the Netflix docuseries that premiered in 2019. This analysis from two communications professors unpacks how the series has successfully presented the sport for an American audience and cultivated a dedicated fanbase in the process. The ConversationNetflix's original movies are intended to be in the backgroundNetflix's original content follows "taste clusters," those wildly specific tags for content, like "cerebral Southwestern murder mystery." The low-budget films and shows designed for these genre buckets are written with abundant exposition to remind casual viewers where they are in the story. n+1Amazon is both a vendor for Netflix, via its cloud-computing arm, and its rivalAmazon's Prime Video is a subscription streaming service that includes a variety of original shows and movies for free with a paid Prime membership. This Rotten Tomatoes ranking details 100 of the best Prime Video shows available to watch, including the dramas “Fleabag” and “The Boys.” Rotten TomatoesYouTube occupies more US screen time than NetflixAs consumers continue to shift their viewing activity away from traditional cable and broadcast TV, they’re spending an increasing amount of time streaming content, much of it on YouTube. In fact, Nielsen data from August 2025, shows that YouTube accounted for 13.1% of US screen time, compared to Netflix’s 8.7%. NielsenNetflix, explainedFrom offering an internet-based, mail-order Blockbuster alternative to its eventual status as a market leader in streaming entertainment, Netflix has led nearly every major paradigm shift in the television and movie business since its inception. 1440How Netflix changed TVIn April 2017, Netflix reached 100 million subscribers worldwide—a figure that hit 300 million by 2025. With 50 million in the US alone, it has revolutionized the way people consume entertainment. Newsweek takes a look into the company's history and how it became the dominant force in entertainment. NewsweekNetflix's 'Kaleidoscope' experimented with non-linear storytellingNetflix has regularly experimented with how it releases episodes, but its miniseries "Kaleidoscope" experimented with linear storytelling by crafting a show that supposedly allowed viewers to enjoy the show in any order they pleased. NetflixNetflix has sometimes struggled with technical aspects of live-streamingAnne Aaron, Netflix’s senior encoding tech director, spent a decade improving how Netflix streams its content. Then came the challenges of live events. Netflix has experimented with live content like stand-up comedy and sporting events. In this interview with The Verge, Aaron walks through the associated technical and coding challenges. The VergeHow Netflix battled BlockbusterThe most consequential business stories involve intense rivalries. The story of Netflix versus Blockbuster is one of those: an agile upstart versus an entrenched incumbent. This nine-part podcast explores the key strategies and pivotal moments in the rivalry that upended the entertainment business, setting the stage for the streaming wars. WonderyMost of Netflix's subscribers are outside the USAccordingly, each year, Netflix releases an expansive slate of international shows and movies to subscribers worldwide, including hits that crossed over to the US, like "Squid Game." Netflix'House of Cards' was Netflix's first original prestige dramaWhen Netflix released the David Fincher-directed political drama series "House of Cards," it marked a watershed moment for both the company and the broader entertainment industry, dramatically shifting how audiences consumed televised entertainment. The RingerThe spread of high-speed internet helped Netflix's riseWhen high-speed internet began spreading in the mid-2000s, Netflix launched its streaming platform. Without a robust broadband architecture, it would not have been possible. Pew Research CenterContrary to popular belief, Netflix didn't kill BlockbusterBlockbuster was definitely the loser in its years-long battle with Netflix, but the conventional wisdom that the streaming giant killed the established video store chain is incorrect. Blockbuster’s large debt load—and an activist shareholder who didn’t fully appreciate the threat Netflix posed—led the chain to squander its advantages. CNBCNetflix started in 1997 as a mail-order DVD rental serviceThe first Netflix customers selected DVDs from the company’s website and received and returned them through regular mail. The approach included no late fees and quickly added the ability to rent an unlimited number of DVDs for a flat monthly fee, with the company passing 1 million subscribers in 2003. NetflixNetflix is the dominant streaming serviceAs of 2025, Netflix had amassed more than 300 million subscribers globally and saw quarterly revenue over $11B. Digital Marketing InstituteNetflix positioned itself as a logical alternative to movie rentalsAt its inception, Netflix disrupted the entertainment industry, in particular the movie rental business, by mass mailing DVDs to customers who made selections online. That brand is evident in this 2004 commercial. Analog IndulgenceA critic on what BTS' return from military service meansSarah A. Son, a lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield, argues that K-pop icons now recognize how intertwined their band's identity is with that of their country. In her review of Netflix's documentary "BTS: The Return," Son suggests the group, after serving in the military, is more attuned to the pressures of such a specific kind of stardom. The ConversationK-pop band BTS released their fifth album, 'Arirang,' after a four-year hiatus The album reflects the identity and roots of one of the world's most popular boy bands. Alongside a new single and free concert, the release kicked off BTS's 82‑date world tour through 2027. The free concert at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square drew tens of thousands of attendees and was livestreamed on Netflix. The Hollywood ReporterHow Cadillac joined F1 as the first new team in a decadeThe process was not an easy one: Despite growing American interest, thanks to Netflix's "Drive to Survive" and the 2025 film "F1," the 10 teams in the league were resistant to another team diluting the prize money. That changed when Cadillac agreed to pay $200M to become Formula 1's 11th team. This deep dive from ESPN's Nate Saunders details how the company made the deal happen. ESPNMo Amer shares his immigration journey through comedy and storytellingIn the 2025 "Code Switch" podcast, comedian Mo Amer discusses how his Netflix series, "Mo," and other stand-up specials draw on his real-life experience as a Palestinian refugee navigating the US immigration system. Code SwitchProtests in Ukraine from 2013 to 2014 set the stage for the current conflictBeginning in November 2013, the Euromaidan movement saw hundreds of thousands of protesters gather in Kyiv's Independence Square after the government rejected an EU deal. Months of demonstrations and violent crackdowns culminated in President Yanukovych fleeing to Russia. Note: graphic content. NetflixThe Domain Name System serves as a directory for the InternetDNS translates domain names into numerical IP addresses, making internet navigation easier for the vast majority of users. The ".com" at the end of the domain represents the highest level in the domain name hierarchy. The ConversationIn 2009, people thought a young boy was floating over Colorado in a homemade balloonThe "Balloon Boy" event received coverage from news outlets, and a search began after his parents claimed he was trapped inside his balloon. Later that day, the boy emerged from his attic where he had been hiding the whole time. His parents were later accused of orchestrating a hoax. TIMEShow business is increasingly leaving HollywoodUsing tax incentives, states like Georgia, New Jersey, and New Mexico are luring studios to produce their films and television shows outside of California. Changing business models after COVID-19 largely influenced this change. Morning BrewFamous scammer Anna Delvey lied about having a $67M trust fundDelvey conned New York City’s elite with her lies, saying that she was a German heiress and defrauding the city’s banks, restaurants, and more out of more than $275K in just 10 months. Her story was even turned into a Netflix series while she was in prison. ABC NewsHitchcock films thrive on the terror of the ordinaryHitchcock's films rely on seemingly ordinary elements—like birds or hotels—but slowly turn them into menaces, thanks to the director's pioneering camera techniques. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) The New York TimesThe Girlboss TV show is generally regarded as a failureSophia Amoruso’s memoir, “#Girlboss,” spawned more than just a cultural movement—it also inspired an ill-fated television show that is remembered as one of Netflix’s first major failures. InverseA post-game interview with Sophia Amoruso directly after her 2016 Forbes coverThis article from 2016 is a time capsule of sorts. It includes an interview with the person who coined the term “girlboss,” Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso, that took place just after she appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine. We now know that her company would go on to file for bankruptcy the next year. WWDWatch Taylor Swift write a songTaylor Swift is one of the most famous and successful entertainers of the modern era, whose music wins fans and Grammy awards, and secures billions of streams on Spotify. In this clip from the Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Taylor lets cameras film her in the process of writing a song. Still Watching NetflixNollywood is Nigeria's booming film industryWith storytelling roots in the Yoruba tradition of traveling theater troupes, Nollywood has slowly expanded its influence—and the world is taking notice. Over the last decade, Netflix invested more than $23M in the Nigerian film industry. StudioBinderWhy does the stock market matter?Open any newspaper, turn on your local TV news station, or listen to a daily business radio segment, and you’re bound to hear about how the stock market is performing. Netflix created a 17-minute (free) explainer that dives deep into the nitty-gritty of how we got here. NetflixBinge-watching was the result of a competitionIn 2006, Netflix launched an open competition for data science teams to create approaches to best their own recommendation algorithm, offering $1M to the winners. Three years later, the prize was awarded after a group of competitors merged, developing a solution that beat Netflix's internal algorithm by more than 10%. ThrillistThe company's success is often credited to cofounder Reed HastingsHastings advocates management philosophies like radical candor, agility, and a hands-off approach to high-performing employees. He stepped down as CEO in 2023 but remains Netflix’s chairman. Tim FerrissThe platform's ease of use relies on a complex architectureHitting "play" on Netflix is easy, but it triggers a multistep process that fetches the selected content, converts it for your screen, and finds the closest server to deliver it in the highest quality. MediumThe streamer no longer just offers TV and moviesAs a means of keeping existing subscribers engaged, and to add new users on the margins, the streaming service began releasing its own original video games. Many are based on existing Netflix titles and franchises. See their current offerings here. Netflix