Netflix

Netflix was conceived of in 1997 (whoa: it’s pushing 30!) as a DVD-by-mail business. A website followed in 1998 — at the time, it also sold DVDs. We didn’t even remember that. The (DVD) subscription model started in 1999, and co-founder Reed Hastings was off and running.

Hastings sprinted directly to Wall Street: Netflix become a publicly traded company in 2002. Then $1, NFLX shares now go for north of $600 apiece — talk about ROI! Five years later, the streaming started — and so did an entertainment-industry revolution (one that movie theaters would rather forget).

In 2013, the originals came. Netflix’s first slate: “House of Cards,” “Hemlock Grove,” “Arrested Development,” and “Orange Is the New Black.” Anyone remember “Hemlock Grove”? Us either, but it starred Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgård.

Original films joined the slate in 2015. The streamer (DVDs officially lasted until 2023) won its first Oscar (“The White Helmets”) two years later.

These days, Netflix is streaming-only, allows for downloads, and boasts so many global paid subscribers (270 million as of March 31, 2024) that it says it won’t even report them quarterly anymore. It now has commercials, which were once a big no-no under Hastings, and even (kinda-sorta) live sports.

Netflix is so big it has two CEOs today — and neither are Hastings. He stepped back in 2023, leaving Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters in the role.

The most-watched piece of content in Netflix’s history is Korean-original series “Squid Game.” Its most-watched English-language program is the first season of the “The Addams Family” reimagining “Wednesday” starring Jenna Ortega. “Red Notice,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds is its most-popular movie ever.