History of Netflix in Timeline
Netflix is a subscription-based streaming service offering a vast library of movies and TV shows, both original and acquired, across diverse genres. It operates internationally, providing content in multiple languages and is a major player in the over-the-top entertainment market.
August 29, 1997: Netflix founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings
On August 29, 1997, Netflix was founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in Scotts Valley, California.
1997: Netflix launched as the first DVD rental and sales website
In 1997, Netflix launched as the first DVD rental and sales website with 30 employees and 925 titles available. Also in 1997, Jeff Bezos offered to acquire Netflix for between $14 and $16 million, but Reed Hastings turned it down.
September 1999: Netflix introduced a monthly subscription concept
In September 1999, Netflix introduced a monthly subscription concept.
September 2000: Netflix offered to sell the company to Blockbuster for $50 million
In September 2000, during the dot-com bubble, Hastings and Randolph offered to sell Netflix to Blockbuster for $50 million, but Blockbuster's CEO declined.
2000: Netflix dropped the per-rental model
By early 2000, Netflix dropped the per-rental model, focusing on a flat-fee unlimited rentals without due dates, late fees, shipping and handling fees, or per-title rental fees business model.
2000: Cinematch launched
Cinematch, launched in 2000, was a system that recommended movies to its users, many of which might have been entirely new to the user.
2001: Netflix delayed plans for its IPO and laid off one-third of its employees
In early 2001, Netflix experienced fast growth, but the continued effects of the dot-com bubble collapse and the September 11 attacks caused the company to delay plans for its IPO and to lay off one-third of its 120 employees.
2001: DVD players were a popular gift
In late 2001, DVD players were a popular gift for holiday sales, and demand for DVD subscription services were "growing like crazy".
May 23, 2002: Netflix went public
On May 23, 2002, Netflix went public on NASDAQ at $15.00 per share with a sale of 5.5 million shares of common stock.
2003: Netflix was issued a patent and posted its first profit
In 2003, Netflix was issued a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office to cover its subscription rental service and extensions and also posted its first profit of $6.5 million on revenues of $272 million.
2004: Netflix profit increased to $49 million
By 2004, Netflix's profit had increased to $49 million on over $500 million in revenues.
2004: Blockbuster introduced a DVD rental service
In 2004, Blockbuster introduced a DVD rental service that allowed users to check out titles through online sites and return them at brick-and-mortar stores.
2004: Netflix licensed and distributed "Born into Brothels"
In 2004, Through its Red Envelope Entertainment division, Netflix licensed and distributed the independent film "Born into Brothels".
2005: Netflix had acquired movie rights and designed the "Netflix box"
By 2005, Netflix had acquired movie rights and designed the "Netflix box" and service for downloading movies overnight. However, the concept of using a hardware device was scrapped and replaced with a streaming concept.
2005: Netflix shipped 1 million DVDs out every day
In 2005, 35,000 different films were available, and Netflix shipped 1 million DVDs out every day.
April 2006: Netflix filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Blockbuster
In April 2006, Netflix filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Blockbuster, alleging that Blockbuster's online DVD rental subscription program violated two patents held by Netflix.
October 2006: Netflix announced the Netflix Prize
In October 2006, Netflix announced the Netflix Prize: $1M to the first developer of a video-recommendation algorithm that could beat its existing algorithm, Cinematch, at predicting customer ratings by more than 10%.
2006: Blockbuster's DVD rental service reached two million users
By 2006, Blockbuster's DVD rental service reached two million users, and while trailing Netflix's subscriber count, was drawing business away from Netflix.
2006: Netflix licensed and distributed "Sherrybaby" and expanded into producing original content
In 2006, Through its Red Envelope Entertainment division, Netflix licensed and distributed the independent film "Sherrybaby". Red Envelope Entertainment also expanded into producing original content with filmmakers such as John Waters.
2006: Netflix delivered its billionth DVD - Babel
In February 2007, Netflix delivered its billionth DVD, a copy of Babel (2006) to a customer in Texas.
January 2007: Netflix launched a streaming media service
In January 2007, Netflix launched a streaming media service, introducing video on demand via the Internet. The service, then called "Watch Now", at first required Internet Explorer on a computer. At that time, it only had 1,000 films available for streaming, compared to 70,000 available on DVD.
February 2007: Netflix delivered its billionth DVD
In February 2007, Netflix delivered its billionth DVD, a copy of Babel (2006) to a customer in Texas.
April 2007: Netflix recruited Anthony Wood to build a "Netflix Player"
In April 2007, Netflix recruited ReplayTV founder Anthony Wood to build a "Netflix Player" that would allow streaming content to be played directly on a television rather than a desktop or laptop. Hastings eventually shut down the project to encourage other hardware manufacturers to include built-in Netflix support, leading to Roku.
June 2007: Netflix and Blockbuster settled their patent dispute
In June 2007, Netflix and Blockbuster settled their patent dispute; terms were not disclosed.
2007: Netflix launched as video on demand streaming media service
In 2007, Netflix launched as a video on demand streaming media service, almost a decade after starting its DVD-by-mail movie rental service.
August 2008: Netflix database was corrupted
In August 2008, the Netflix database was corrupted and the company was unable to ship DVDs to customers for three days, leading the company to move all its data to the Amazon Web Services cloud.
November 2008: Netflix began offering rentals on Blu-ray and discontinued its sale of used DVDs
In November 2008, Netflix began offering subscribers rentals on Blu-ray and discontinued its sale of used DVDs.
2008: Netflix closed Red Envelope Entertainment
In 2008, Netflix closed Red Envelope Entertainment.
September 2009: Netflix awarded the $1 million Netflix Prize
In September 2009, Netflix awarded the $1 million Netflix Prize to a seven-person team, "BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos".
2009: Netflix streams overtook its DVD shipments
In 2009, Netflix streams overtook its DVD shipments.
January 2010: Netflix agreed with Warner Bros. to delay new release rentals
In January 2010, Netflix agreed with Warner Bros. to delay new release rentals to 28 days after the DVDs became available for sale.
February 2010: Netflix signed a deal to stream 300 indie movie titles
In February 2010, Netflix signed a deal to stream 300 indie movie titles.
July 2010: Netflix signed a deal to stream movies of Relativity Media
In July 2010, Netflix signed a deal to stream movies of Relativity Media and announced an expansion of its deal with Warner Bros. Television adding more shows, including Veronica Mars and Nip/Tuck.
August 2010: Netflix reached a five-year deal worth nearly $1 billion to stream films
In August 2010, Netflix reached a five-year deal worth nearly $1 billion to stream films from Paramount, Lionsgate, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The deal increased Netflix's annual spending fees, adding roughly $200 million per year. It spent $117 million in the first six months of 2010 on streaming, up from $31 million in 2009.
September 2010: Netflix launched in Canada
In September 2010, Netflix launched in Canada, its first international market.
November 2010: Netflix began offering a standalone streaming service
In November 2010, Netflix began offering a standalone streaming service separate from DVD rentals.
2010: Netflix acquired the rights to "Breaking Bad"
In 2010, Netflix acquired the rights to "Breaking Bad", produced by Sony Pictures Television, after the show's third season. This acquisition is considered the first show to have the "Netflix effect".
January 2011: Netflix announced agreements with manufacturers to include branded Netflix buttons on remote controls
In January 2011, Netflix announced agreements with several manufacturers to include branded Netflix buttons on the remote controls of devices compatible with the service, such as Blu-ray players.
May 2011: Netflix had become the largest source of Internet streaming traffic in North America
By May 2011, Netflix had become the largest source of Internet streaming traffic in North America, accounting for 30% of traffic during peak hours.
July 2011: Netflix announced it would be separating its existing subscription plans
In July 2011, Netflix announced it would be separating its existing subscription plans into two: one covering the streaming and the other DVD rental services. The cost for streaming would be $7.99 per month, while DVD rental would start at the same price.
September 2011: Netflix expanded to countries in Latin America
In September 2011, Netflix expanded to countries in Latin America. That same month, Netflix announced its intentions to rebrand and restructure its DVD home media rental service as an independent subsidiary called Qwikster.
September 26, 2011: Netflix announced a content deal with DreamWorks Animation
On September 26, 2011, Netflix announced a content deal with DreamWorks Animation.
October 2011: Netflix announced it would retain its DVD service under the name Netflix
In October 2011, Netflix announced it would retain its DVD service under the name Netflix and that its streaming and DVD-rental plans would remain branded together after negative customer reactions to the Qwikster rebranding.
April 2012: Netflix had not used the $1 million algorithm
As of April 2012, Netflix had not used the $1 million algorithm and did not have plans to implement it due to engineering costs.
2016: Netflix Receives Emmy Award Nominations
In 2016, Netflix received the largest share of Emmy Award nominations with 16 major nominations for shows like House of Cards, A Very Murray Christmas, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Master of None, and Bloodline. However, streaming shows only got 24 nominations out of a total of 139, falling behind cable.
December 2017: Netflix Named PETA's Company of the Year
In December 2017, Netflix was awarded PETA's Company of the Year for promoting animal rights movies and documentaries such as Forks Over Knives and What the Health.
2017: Netflix buys Icarus at Sundance Film Festival
In 2017, Icarus premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was bought by Netflix for $5 million.
2017: Stranger Things and The Crown Receive Emmy Nominations
In 2017, Stranger Things received 19 nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, while The Crown received 13 nominations.
March 4, 2018: Icarus Wins Academy Award
On March 4, 2018, at the 90th Academy Awards, the Netflix-distributed film Icarus won its first Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. Director Bryan Fogel remarked that Netflix had "single-handedly changed the documentary world."
March 2020: Netflix Limits Services Due to Increased Usage
In March 2020, some government agencies called for Netflix and other streamers to limit services due to increased broadband and energy consumption. In response, the company announced it would reduce bit rate across all streams in Europe, decreasing Netflix traffic on European networks by around 25 percent. These same steps were later taken in India.
2020: Netflix Leads in Academy Award Nominations
In 2020, Netflix earned 24 Academy Award nominations, marking the first time a streaming service led all studios in nominations.
2020: Netflix Receives Golden Globe Nominations
In 2020, Netflix received 20 TV nominations and films distributed by Netflix also got 22 film nominations at the 78th Golden Globe Awards. The Crown, Ozark and Ratched secured three out of the five nominations for best drama TV series and Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin, Laura Linney and Sarah Paulson four of the five nominations for best actress in a TV series.
October 13, 2021: Netflix Book Club launch with Starbucks partnership
On October 13, 2021, Netflix announced the launch of the Netflix Book Club, partnering with Starbucks for the social series "But Have You Read the Book?" Uzo Aduba was named the inaugural host and would announce monthly book selections to be adapted by Netflix.
October 2021: Shift to viewership metrics based on hours watched
In October 2021, Netflix announced a shift in its viewership metrics. Previously, viewership was reported based on the number of viewers who watched a show for at least two minutes within a given period. The company would now measure viewership by the number of hours watched, including rewatches, starting in October 2021.
November 2, 2021: Mobile games launch for Android users
On November 2, 2021, Netflix officially launched mobile games for Android users globally. Subscribers gained free access to five games, including two Stranger Things titles, through the Netflix app.
December 6, 2021: Partnership with Stage 32 for Global Marketplace program
On December 6, 2021, Netflix and Stage 32 teamed up for workshops at the Creating Content for the Global Marketplace program.
December 7, 2021: Partnership with IllumiNative for Indigenous Producers Training Program
On December 7, 2021, Netflix partnered with IllumiNative, a woman-led non-profit, for the Indigenous Producers Training Program.
2021: Netflix Leads Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations and Wins
In 2021, films and programs distributed by Netflix received 30 nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, more than any other distribution company. The distributed films and programs won seven awards including best motion picture for The Trial of the Chicago 7 and best TV drama for The Crown. Netflix also received the most nominations of any studio at the 93rd Academy Awards—35 total nominations with 7 award wins.
January 2022: Order of additional sports docuseries
In January 2022, Netflix ordered additional sports docuseries from Box to Box Films, producers of Drive to Survive. This included a series following PGA Tour golfers (Full Swing) and another focusing on professional tennis players (Break Point).
March 2022: Partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises
In March 2022, Netflix announced a partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to produce five new series and specials based on Seuss properties, following the success of Green Eggs and Ham.
March 2022: Acquisition of Next Games
In March 2022, Netflix announced its plan to acquire Next Games for €65 million as part of its expansion into gaming. Next Games had developed Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales and two The Walking Dead mobile games.
April 13, 2022: Release of "Our Great National Parks" and partnerships announced
On April 13, 2022, Netflix released the series "Our Great National Parks", hosted and narrated by Barack Obama. Netflix also partnered with Group Effort Initiative, Arab Fund For Arts And Culture, and J. Miles Dale. In addition, Netflix announced an "Exploding Kittens" mobile card game tied to a new animated TV series launching in May.
April 2022: Password sharing revelations and stock price fall
In April 2022, Netflix reported that 100 million households globally were sharing passwords, with 30 million in Canada and the US. Following this announcement, Netflix's stock price fell by 35%.
May 2022: Netflix Faces Lawsuit Over Securities Laws Violation
In May 2022, Netflix's shareholder Imperium Irrevocable Trust filed a lawsuit against the company for violating the US securities laws.
June 2022: Layoffs due to subscriber growth
By June 2022, Netflix had laid off 450 full-time and contract employees as part of a cost-cutting plan, resulting from lower than expected subscriber growth.
July 1, 2022: Release of Stranger Things 4 Volume 2
After the release of the second volume of Stranger Things 4 on July 1, 2022, it became Netflix's second title to receive more than one billion hours viewed.
July 19, 2022: Acquisition of Animal Logic
On July 19, 2022, Netflix announced plans to acquire Australian animation studio Animal Logic.
September 2022: Premiere of first co-produced feature film with Studio Colorido
In April 2022, Netflix partnered with Japan's Studio Colorido, signing a multi-film deal to boost its anime content in Asia. The first of the three feature films co-produced with the studio would premiere in September 2022.
October 2022: Exploration of cloud gaming
In October 2022, Netflix began exploring a cloud gaming offering and opened a new gaming studio in Southern California.
November 2022: Strategic partnership with The Seven
In November 2022, Netflix announced a strategic partnership with The Seven, a Japanese production company owned by TBS Holdings, to produce multiple original live-action titles over the next five years.
December 2022: Increase in viewership of Korean drama
In December 2022, Netflix announced that 60% of its subscribers had watched a Korean drama. CEO Ted Sarandos attributed the increase in viewership of Korean content among Americans to Korean films and dramas being "often unpredictable" and catching "the American audience by surprise".
2022: "Netflix Original" productions accounted for half of its library
By 2022, "Netflix Original" productions accounted for half of its library in the United States, and the company had started venturing into video game publishing of mobile games through its flagship service.
2022: Suspension of operations in Russia
In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Netflix suspended its operations and future projects in Russia. The company also refused to comply with a directive requiring streaming services with over 100,000 subscribers to integrate major free-to-air channels.
January 2023: Plans to open engineering hub in Warsaw
In January 2023, Netflix announced plans to open an engineering hub in its Warsaw office to provide Netflix's creative partners with software solutions for the production of films and series.
January 2023: Hastings steps down as co-CEO
In January 2023, Reed Hastings stepped down from his role as co-CEO and assumed the role of executive chairman. He was replaced by Greg Peters, who joined Ted Sarandos as co-CEOs of Netflix.
February 2023: Wider rollout of spatial audio and increased offline downloads
In February 2023, Netflix launched a wider rollout of spatial audio and began allowing Premium subscribers to download content for offline playback on up to six devices, expanded from four.
March 2023: First global live-streaming event
In March 2023, Netflix broadcast its first-ever global live-streaming event, the stand-up comedy special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.
March 2023: Netflix Wins Six Academy Awards
In March 2023, Netflix won six Academy Awards including four for All Quiet on the Western Front, which was the most awarded Netflix film in its history. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was the first streaming film to win Best Animated Feature and The Elephant Whisperers was the first Indian-produced film to receive Best Documentary Short Film. Netflix received 103 Emmy nominations.
April 2023: Discontinuation of DVD-by-mail service
In April 2023, Netflix announced that it would discontinue its DVD-by-mail service on September 29. Users were able to keep the DVDs they had received. Over its lifetime, the service had sent out over 5 billion shipments.
May 2023: Netflix Bans Password Sharing
In May 2023, Netflix officially banned the use of password sharing between individuals of different households, meaning sharing an account was only available to those living in the same house.
June 2023: Release of "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report" - The Night Agent most watched
In December 2023, Netflix released its first "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report" for the first six months of 2023. It revealed that The Night Agent was the most watched show globally during that period from January to June 2023.
June 2023: Reworked viewership metrics
Netflix reworked its viewership metrics again in June 2023. Viewership of shows was measured during the first 91 days of availability, instead of the first 28 days, and are now based on the total viewership hours divided by the total hours of the show itself.
August 2023: Announcement of Netflix Stories
In August 2023, Netflix announced Netflix Stories, a collection of interactive narrative games from Netflix series and movies such as Love is Blind, Money Heist, and Virgin River.
October 2023: Promotions and multi-film agreement with Skydance Animation
In October 2023, Eunice Kim was promoted to CPO and Elizabeth Stone was promoted to CTO. That same month, amid a restructuring of its animation division, Netflix announced a multi-film agreement with Skydance Animation beginning with Spellbound (2024).
December 2023: Release of "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report"
In December 2023, Netflix released its first "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report", a look at viewership for every original and licensed title watched more than 50,000 hours from January to June 2023. The company also announced plans to publish the report twice a year.
January 2024: Agreement with WWE for Raw and other programs
In January 2024, Netflix announced a major agreement with professional wrestling promotion WWE, under which it would acquire the rights to its live weekly program Raw beginning January 6, 2025. The rights would initially cover the US, Canada, the UK, and Latin America, and expand to other territories over time.
January 2024: Lawsuit Against Netflix Dismissed
In January 2024, a federal judge dismissed the suit against Netflix, stating that shareholders failed to provide instances of Netflix lying about subscriber growth.
February 2024: Production of Patriots on Broadway
In February 2024, Netflix joined with Peter Morgan, creator of Netflix series The Crown, to produce the play Patriots on Broadway.
July 2024: Netflix Receives 107 Emmy Nominations
In July 2024, Netflix received 107 Emmy nominations, which was the most of any network that year.
2024: Netflix Reports Record Number of New Subscribers
In 2024, Netflix reported a record number of new subscribers in Q4 after banning password sharing in 2023.
2024: Release of Spellbound
In October 2023, Netflix announced a multi-film agreement with Skydance Animation beginning with Spellbound, which would be released in 2024.
January 6, 2025: Acquisition of rights to WWE's live weekly program Raw
In January 2024, Netflix announced a major agreement with professional wrestling promotion WWE, under which it would acquire the rights to its live weekly program Raw beginning January 6, 2025.
January 2025: Netflix Receives Academy Award Nominations
In January 2025, Netflix received 18 Academy Award nominations across six titles—the most of any studio. Thirteen of those nominations belonged to the musical crime drama Emilia Pérez, making it the most nominated film of the year and the most nominated non-English language film in Academy history. Emilia Pérez ultimately won an award for Best Original Song for "El Mal" and Zoe Saldaña was awarded Best Supporting Actress. Other Netflix films recognized with nominations were The Only Girl in the Orchestra, which took home the award for Best Documentary Short, Pablo Larraín's Maria, Tyler Perry's The Six Triple Eight, animated feature Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and live-action short film Anuja.
July 2025: Netflix Receives 120 Emmy Nominations
In July 2025, Netflix received 120 Emmy nominations, including 13 nods for Adolescence, 11 for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and 10 for Black Mirror. It won 30, including eight for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series winner Adolescence. The show's star, Owen Cooper, was the youngest Emmy winner ever in any male acting category at 15 years old.
2025: Netflix Raises Prices
In early 2025, Netflix raised prices after banning password sharing in 2023 and reporting a record number of new subscribers in 2024.
January 2026: Netflix Receives Academy Award Nominations
In January 2026, Netflix received 18 Academy Award nominations across six titles. These included Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein with nine nominations (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Sound), Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams with three nominations (Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song), The Perfect Neighbor for Best Documentary, KPop Demon Hunters for Best Animated Feature, as well as two short films: The Singers and All the Empty Rooms, nominated for Live Action Short Film and Documentary Short Film, respectively.
March 2026: Netflix Raises Prices
In March 2026, Netflix raised prices after reporting a record number of new subscribers in Q4 2024 and raising prices in early 2025.
2026: Netflix reaches 325 million paid memberships
As of 2026, Netflix has reached 325 million paid memberships in more than 190 countries, making it the most-subscribed video on demand streaming media service.
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