You loved Bridgerton and The Queen's Gambit.
You can't get enough of The Crown and Lupin.
Hell, you've been Netflix-and-chilling pretty much nonstop for more than a year.
But how much do you actually know about the iconic streaming service?
How It All Began
Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California. Its initial model was selling AND renting DVDs by mail but they switched to 100% rent by mail within the first year.
Netflix launched its website in 1998 and in 2000, Hastings tried to sell the company to Blockbuster Video.
The video giant of yore famously declined the offer and the rest is history.
Netflix expanded into streaming media in 2007 while maintaining a DVD and Blu-Ray rental business. 2 million people still subscribed to Netflix's DVD rental service as recently as 2019.
Netflix is currently available worldwide except in mainland China, Syria, North Korea, and Crimea.
Netflix By The Numbers
As of the second quarter of 2021, Netflix had 209 million paid subscribers worldwide, over 73 million in the U.S. alone. But let's face it: the number of users is likely way higher since so many people share their accounts with family and friends.
You know you do!
When Netflix went public in 2002, its stock went for just $15 a share. But now a share costs about $531, making the company's market value around $235 billion.
That makes Netflix the world's 39th most valuable publicly traded company, currently ranked #115 on the Fortune 500.
Netflix is the 10th largest Internet company and in June accounted for 7% of all TV viewing in the U.S., the most of any streaming service.
If you watch only Netflix and no broadcast television, you're saved from about 160 hours of ads a year.
In 2017, Netflix reported that one user had watched Madagascar 352 times that year.
So if you've watched one movie almost once a day for the whole year, Netflix knows about it.
From Streamer To Studio
In 2013, Netflix ventured into original programming with the release of its first show, House of Cards, which won 7 Emmys during its run.
Their next two originals were Orange Is the New Black and Hemlock Grove.
Currently, there are over 850 original titles on Netflix including award-winning series such as The Crown as well as the studio's most-watched original film, Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth. Original content makes up 80% of what American viewers watch on the service.
At the 2021 Oscars, Netflix had the most nominations of any studio (36 nominations across 17 films) and took home the most statues of any film distributor with 7 (Disney was a close second with 5.)
Netflix has 129 Emmy nominations, which is second only to HBO with 130. Netflix has already won 112 Emmys.
Pet-flix And Chill?
12 percent of Netflix viewers confess to having stopped watching a show because their pet didn't watch with them.
And 22 percent have given their pets treats to encourage them to join their viewing party.
Netflix: not just for the humans in your family.
