50 Fun Facts About Netflix (Company)

What was Netflix's original business when it launched in 1998?

It also sold DVDs at first, but dropped sales within a year to focus on rentals.

In which year was Netflix founded?

The founders tested the idea by mailing a CD to Hastings's house to see if it arrived intact.

What is Netflix's stock ticker symbol?

It has traded on Nasdaq since its 2002 IPO.

Which South Korean drama became Netflix's most-watched show within a week in 2021?

Hwang Dong-hyuk created and produced the survival series.

Who co-founded Netflix with Marc Randolph?

Hastings put in $2.5 million from the sale of his first company, Pure Atria.

Which series was marketed in 2013 as the first "Netflix Original"?

Netflix had ordered the Kevin Spacey drama straight to series from MRC in March 2011.

Which country was Netflix's first international market, in 2010?

Latin America and the Caribbean followed in 2011, then the UK and Ireland in 2012.

In which year did Netflix shut down its DVD-by-mail service?

Subscribers were allowed to keep the final discs they had received.

In which year did Netflix launch its streaming service?

At launch it had about 1,000 films to stream against 70,000 on DVD.

To which California town did Netflix move its headquarters from Scotts Valley?

The company was founded up the road in Scotts Valley.

For how much did Netflix offer to sell itself to Blockbuster in 2000?

Blockbuster's CEO thought the offer was a joke and called the dot-com hysteria overblown.

Hastings's oft-told founding story involves a $40 late fee on which film?

Co-founder Randolph has since disputed the tale.

What was Netflix's ad-supported tier called at its 2022 launch?

It launched in 12 countries at $6.99 a month in the US.

What is the title of Netflix's Formula One docuseries ordered in 2018?

It is credited with widening the sport's audience, especially in the US.

Who was named Netflix co-CEO alongside Ted Sarandos in January 2023?

The pair took over when Reed Hastings became executive chairman; they split their time between Los Gatos and Los Angeles.

Which Norwegian drama was Netflix's first foray into original content in 2011?

Netflix dropped its entire first season at once, a break from weekly TV releases.

Early on, Amazon offered to buy Netflix for roughly how much?

Hastings, who owned 70% of the company, turned it down on the plane ride home.

In which year did Netflix go public?

The IPO had been delayed by the dot-com crash and the September 11 attacks.

How much was the Netflix Prize for beating its recommendation algorithm?

Teams had to beat the in-house Cinematch system by more than 10%.

Netflix's abandoned "Netflix Player" hardware project was spun off as which company?

Hastings shut it down so other manufacturers would build in Netflix support instead.

What name did Netflix briefly give its planned DVD-rental spin-off in 2011?

The plan was scrapped within a month after a customer backlash.

Which AMC show is considered the first to benefit from the "Netflix effect"?

Binge-watching old seasons on Netflix doubled the show's audience by season five.

What is the name of the Obamas' production company that signed with Netflix in 2018?

The deal covers docu-series, documentaries and features.

What is the name of the management rule behind Netflix's demanding culture?

Managers ask whether they would fight to keep an employee; if not, it is time for a generous severance.

What is the title of Hastings's 2020 book on Netflix culture?

It was co-written with Erin Meyer.

What internet-speed tool did Netflix launch in 2016?

It was praised for being simple and ad-free.

In which California town was Netflix founded?

The idea was hatched while the founders carpooled between Santa Cruz and Sunnyvale.

After a 2008 database corruption halted DVD shipping, Netflix moved its data where?

The outage pushed the company fully into the cloud.

Netflix began its European expansion in January 2012 in which two countries?

The Nordics followed in October 2012 and the Netherlands in 2013.

What was Netflix's first live sports broadcast in November 2024?

Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson; two NFL games on Christmas Day followed.

What share of Netflix did Hastings own when he rejected Amazon's offer?

Randolph had thought the offer was fair, fearing competition from Amazon.

At what price per share did Netflix sell stock in its 2002 IPO?

It sold 5.5 million shares and posted its first profit the following year.

Which team won the Netflix Prize in 2009?

They beat Netflix's own algorithm by 10.06%.

Netflix's billionth DVD, shipped in 2007, was a copy of which film?

It went to a customer in Texas.

What was Netflix's first corporate acquisition, in 2017?

Mark Millar's creator-owned comics company was bought in August 2017.

Netflix first trialled mobile games for subscribers in which country in 2021?

The trial offered Stranger Things games free through the mobile app.

Hastings taught high-school maths with the Peace Corps in which country?

He credits hitchhiking across Africa with ten dollars for making start-ups feel unintimidating.

Which psychoanalysis pioneer was a great-grand-uncle of Marc Randolph?

Another great-uncle was Edward Bernays, the pioneer of public relations.

Where did Hastings earn his mathematics degree?

He later earned a computer science master's at Stanford after MIT turned him down.

How many Emmys did Netflix win in 2021, tying CBS's single-year record from 1974?

The same year it led all studios with 36 Oscar nominations and seven wins.

Which Blockbuster CEO dismissed the offer to buy Netflix as a joke?

He said the dot-com hysteria was completely overblown.

How much did Netflix pay Paramount for The Cloverfield Paradox in 2018?

The film dropped right after its first trailer aired during Super Bowl LII.

By what margin did the Netflix Prize winners beat the company's own algorithm?

The contest ran on a dataset of more than 100 million ratings.

Netflix paid roughly how much for Albuquerque Studios in 2018?

The $91 million facility became its first US production hub, with a pledge to spend over $1bn there.

Marc Randolph graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in what?

He spent summers as an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School.

What was Netflix's total stock return during the 2010s, the best in the S&P 500?

It was the index's top-performing stock for the decade.

What was the name of Netflix's indie-film division, closed in 2008?

It distributed films such as Born into Brothels and worked with John Waters.

Which future Netflix HR chief was in the founders' carpool group?

She later said DVD-subscription demand was "growing like crazy" by late 2001.

What breakup fee did Netflix receive when its Warner Bros. Discovery deal collapsed?

Paramount Skydance won WBD with a $31-per-share bid; Netflix added $25bn to its buyback.

Since June 2023, Netflix measures a title's viewership over its first how many days?

Hours watched are divided by the title's length, so short films are not penalised.