Netflix 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.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
From 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.
As of 2025, Netflix had amassed more than 300 million subscribers globally and saw quarterly revenue over $11B.
Accordingly, 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."
The 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.
At 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.
Blockbuster 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.
The 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.
When 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.
When 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.
In 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.
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