Netflix, Inc. (from Net, short for Internet and flicks as a colloquial term for 'movies') is an American media company engaged in the paid streaming and production of films and series.

The company was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Los Gatos, California, in 1997 and initially operated as an online video store that sent films on DVD and Blu-ray to its subscribers. In 2007, Netflix entered the video-on-demand business and made its content available to subscribers via streaming. In 2024, Netflix is the most subscribed video-on-demand streaming media service with 282.7 million paid memberships in more than 190 countries. In Germany, around 35.452 million people use Netflix at least once a week. In 2020, the company's market capitalization of almost 195 billion dollars exceeded that of the Walt Disney Company for the first time. As of 2023, Netflix is the 23rd most visited website in the world.

In March 2011, Netflix announced that it would offer its customers in-house productions alongside reruns of other TV series. For example, David Fincher's political drama House of Cards, starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, was launched as an in-house production in February 2013. The series received particular attention from the press and won three Emmys in 2013. Another series with a lot of media attention is Orange Is the New Black, which was first shown in 2013. It received nominations and awards at the Emmys, the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, among others.

Netflix also produces foreign-language series in various parts of the world, such as Marseille in France, Club de Cuervos in Mexico and Hibana (Spark) in Japan. Like all in-house productions, these are available internationally. In May 2017, Netflix announced that it would be announcing six new European TV series by the end of 2017. In addition to the French series Osmosis, these include the two German-language original series Dark and Dogs of Berlin. In 2016, Netflix released an estimated 126 self-produced series and films.

In 2017, Netflix released Okja, directed by Bong Joon-ho, one of its highest-budgeted films with a budget of 50 million US dollars. Netflix developed into a major production studio and also established itself as a new method of distribution and screening for filmmakers. The company finances various projects locally and internationally, blockbusters with well-known and cultural low-budget productions. (Source: Wikipedia)