Netflix

Netflix, Inc. is an American media-services provider and production company headquartered in Los Gatos, California, founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California. The company's primary business is its subscription-based streaming service which offers online streaming of a library of films and television programs, including those produced in-house.^[2] As of 2019 -04, Netflix had over 148 million paid subscriptions worldwide, including 60 million in the United States, and over 154 million subscriptions total including free trials.^[3] It is available worldwide except in mainland China (due to local restrictions), Syria, North Korea, and Crimea (due to U.S. sanctions). The company also has offices in India, Netherlands, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea.^[4] Netflix is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Netflix's initial business model included DVD sales and rental by mail, but Hastings abandoned the sales about a year after the company's founding to focus on the initial DVD rental business.^[2]^[5] Netflix expanded its business in 2010 with the introduction of streaming media while retaining the DVD and Blu-ray rental business. The company expanded internationally in 2010 with streaming available in Canada,^[6] followed by Latin America and the Caribbean. Netflix entered the content-production industry in 2012, debuting its first series Lilyhammer.

Since 2012, Netflix has taken more of an active role as producer and distributor for both film and television series, and to that end, it offers a variety of "Netflix Original" content through its online library.^[7] By 2016 -01, Netflix services operated in more than 190 countries.^[8] Netflix released an estimated 126 original series and films in 2016, more than any other network or cable channel.^[9] Their efforts to produce new content, secure the rights for additional content, and diversify through 190 countries have resulted in the company racking up billions in debt: $21.9 billion as of 2017 -09, up from $16.8 billion from the previous year.^[10] $6.5 billion of this is long-term debt, while the remaining is in long-term obligations.^[11] In 2018 -10, Netflix announced it would raise another $2 billion in debt to help fund new content.^[12]

International versions

Country	Name	Launch date
Arab World	Netflix	2016 -01-06
Australia and New Zealand	Netflix	2015 -03-24
Brazil	Netflix	2011 -07-05
Canada	Netflix	2010 -09-22
Denmark	Netflix	2012 -01-04
Finland	Netflix	2012 -01-04
France	Netflix	2014 -09-19
Germany	Netflix	2014 -09-19
Greece	Netflix	2016 -01-06
Hong Kong	Netflix	2016 -01-06
Hungary	Netflix	2016 -01-06
India	Netflix	2012 -01-04
Ireland	Netflix	2012 -01-04
Israel	Netflix	2016 -01-06
Italy	Netflix	2014 -09-19
Japan	Netflix	2015 -09-02^[13]
Latin America	Netflix	2011 -07-05
Netherlands	Netflix	2013 -09-11
Norway	Netflix	2012 -01-04
Portugal	Netflix	2015 -10-21
Romania	Netflix	2016 -01-06
Spain	Netflix	2015 -06-06
South Korea	Netflix	2016
Sweden	Netflix	2012 -01-04
United Kingdom	Netflix	2012 -01-04
Turkiye	Netflix	2016 -01-06