Netflix trivia | 100 facts about the streaming service (part 3)

Netflix is a streaming service that has reached millions of households around the world. It has million subscribers and many hours of original content.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about this streaming service.

1. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes in 2011 welcomed Netflix’s ability to monetize older content that was previously not generating money for media companies
2. On January 14, 2013, Netflix signed an agreement with Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Bros. Television to distribute Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation, and Adult Swim content, as well as TNT’s Dallas, beginning in March 2013
3. The rights to these programs, previously held by Amazon Video, were given to Netflix shortly after their deal with Viacom to stream Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. programs expired
4. However, Cartoon Network’s ratings dropped by 10% in households that had Netflix
5. Many of the shows from that channel and Adult Swim were removed in March 2015
6. Most of these shows were added to Hulu in May of the same year
7. In Canada, Netflix holds pay TV rights to films from Paramount, DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox distributing all new content from those studios eight months after initial release
8. In 2015, the company also bought the Canadian pay TV rights to Disney films
9. Netflix also began to acquire distribution rights to third-party films in 2017 into 2018
10. One of its first acquisitions was the film The Cloverfield Paradox, which Netflix had acquired from Paramount Pictures in early 2018
11. The film launched on its service on February 4, 2018, shortly after airing its first trailer during Super Bowl LII
12. The film was critically panned
13. Analysts believed that Netflix’s purchase of the film helped to make the film instantly profitable for Paramount compared to a more traditional theatrical release, while Netflix benefited from the surprise reveal
14. Other films acquired by Netflix include international distribution for Paramount’s Annihilation, worldwide distribution of Universal’s Extinction and Warner Bros.’ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
15. In February 2020, after Mattel Television ended the deal to broadcast the British television series Thomas & Friends on Nickelodeon in the US
16. They made a deal to stream the show in March 2020
17. Making it the first time in years that Thomas content was available on Netflix
18. As of March 2020, Netflix offered just under 3,000 film titles for streaming on its U.S. service
19. This does not include multi-episode titles
20. In June 2018, Netflix announced a partnership with Telltale Games to port its adventure games to the service in a streaming video format
21. The games would be adapted to be similar to the existing interactive narrative stories that Netflix already offers, allowing simple controls through a television remote
22. The first such game, Minecraft: Story Mode, was expected to be released later in the year
23. Telltale also received rights to produce a video game adaptation of Stranger Things for conventional gaming platforms
24. In September 2018, Telltale underwent a “majority studio closure” and laid off nearly its entire staff beyond a skeleton crew of 25 employees, citing a loss of funding
25. Netflix stated that while the Minecraft: Story Mode port would go on, the company was seeking alternate options for the Stranger Things project
26. Netflix can be accessed via an internet browser on PCs
27. While Netflix apps are available on various platforms, including Blu-ray Disc players, tablet computers, mobile phones, smart TVs, digital media players, and video game consoles (including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3)
28. The Wii and the PlayStation 2 were formerly compatible with Netflix as well
29. In addition, a growing number of multichannel television providers, including cable television and IPTV services, have also added Netflix apps accessible within their own set-top boxes
30. Sometimes with the ability for its content (along with those of other online video services) to be presented within a unified search interface alongside linear television programming as an “all-in-one” solution
31. 4K streaming requires a 4K-compatible device and display, both supporting HDCP 2.2
32. 4K streaming on personal computers requires hardware and software support of the Microsoft PlayReady 3.0 digital rights management solution
33. This requires a compatible CPU, graphics card, and software environment
34. Currently, this feature is limited to 7th generation Intel Core or later CPUs, Windows 10, Nvidia Geforce 10 series and AMD Radeon 400 series or later graphics cards, and running through Microsoft Edge web browser, or the Netflix universal app available on Microsoft Store
35. During Q1 2011, sales and rentals of DVDs and Blu-rays plunged about 35%, and the sell-through of packaged discs fell 19.99% to $2.07 billion, with more money spent on subscription than in-store rentals
36. This decrease was attributed to the rising popularity of Netflix and other streaming services
37. In July 2012, Netflix hired Kelly Bennett, former Warner Bros. Vice President of Interactive, Worldwide Marketing, to become its new chief marketing officer
38. This also filled a vacancy at Netflix that had been empty for over six months when their previous CMO Leslie Kilgore left in January 2012
39. Netflix’s website has 117.6 million subscribers as of 2018
40. With 8.3 million being added in the fourth quarter of 2017
41. As of January 28, 2018, Netflix’s website ranked as the 30th most trafficked website in the world
42. It is also the 9th most trafficked website in the United States
43. Netflix has a Twitter feed
44. This feed is used to tweet about the new and upcoming shows that include hashtags to encourage engagement of their audience to not only watch the show but to contribute to the hashtag themselves
45. As of October 2019, Netflix officially supports 26 languages for user interface and customer support purposes
46. These languages are the following: Arabic (Modern Standard), Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian and European), Romanian, Spanish (Castilian and Latin American), Swahili, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese
47. Netflix has encountered political controversy after its global expansion and for some of its international productions, including The Mechanism, Fauda and Amo
48. In June 2016, Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky asserted that Netflix is part of a US government plot to influence the world culture, “to enter every home, get into every television, and through that television, into the head of every person on earth”
49. This was part of his argument for the increase of funding of Russian cinema to pitch it against the dominance of Hollywood
50. In February 2020 the company released its first report of when it has complied with government requested content takedowns in their countries, a total of 9 times since its launch
51. In Singapore, Netflix complied with requests to take down Cooking on High, The Legend of 420, and Disjointed in 2018, The Last Temptation of Christ in 2019, and The Last Hangover in 2020
52. In Germany, Netflix complied with a request to take down a version of Night of the Living Dead in 2017
53. In Vietnam, Netflix complied with a request to take down Full Metal Jacket in 2017
54. In New Zealand, Netflix complied with a request to take down the film The Bridge in 2015
55. The film is deemed objectionable by the country’s Office of Film and Literature Classification
56. In Saudi Arabia, Netflix complied with a request to take down an episode criticizing the country’s government from the series Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj in 2019
57. This drew criticism in the media
58. In India, Netflix along with Disney’s Hotstar announced plans in early 2019 to adopt self-regulation guidelines for content streamed on their platforms within the country in an effort to prevent potential implementation of government censorship laws
59. The Jordanian series Jinn was condemned by members of the country’s government for contravening the country’s moral standards, and the country’s highest prosecutor has sought to have the series banned from streaming
60. On September 3, 2019, Netflix applied for a license to continue its streaming services in Turkey, under the country’s new broadcasting rules
61. The television watchdog of Istanbul, Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) issued new guidelines, under which content providers were required to get new license for operating in the country
62. Netflix’s success was followed by the establishment of numerous other DVD rental companies, both in the United States and abroad
63. Walmart began an online rental service in October 2002 but left the market in May 2005
64. However, Walmart later acquired the rental service Vudu in 2010
65. Blockbuster Video entered the United States online market in August 2004, with a US$19.95 monthly subscription service (equivalent to $27 in 2019)
66. This sparked a price war
67. Netflix had raised its popular three-disc plan from US$19.95 to US$21.99 just prior to Blockbuster’s launch, but by October, Netflix reduced this fee to US$17.99
68. Blockbuster responded with rates as low as US$14.99 for a time, but, by August 2005, both companies settled at identical rates
69. On July 22, 2007, Netflix dropped the prices of its two most popular plans by US$1.00 in an effort to better compete with Blockbuster’s online-only offerings
70. On October 4, 2012, Dish Network scrapped plans to make Blockbuster into a Netflix competitor
71. In 2005, Netflix cited Amazon.com as a potential competitor, which until 2008, offered online video rentals in the United Kingdom and Germany
72. This arm of the business was eventually sold to LoveFilm
73. However, Amazon then bought LoveFilm in 2011
74. In addition, Amazon now streams movies and television shows through Amazon Video (formerly Amazon Video On Demand and LOVEFiLM Instant)
75. Redbox is another competitor that uses a kiosk approach
76. Rather than mailing DVDs, customers pick up and return DVDs at self-service kiosks located in metropolitan areas
77. In September 2012, Coinstar, the owners of Redbox, announced plans to partner with Verizon to launch Redbox Instant by Verizon by late 2012
78. In early 2013, Redbox Instant by Verizon began a limited beta release of its service, which was described by critics as “No Netflix killer” due to “glitches [and] lackluster selection”
79. CuriosityStream, a premium ad-free, subscription-based service launched in March 2015 similar to Netflix but offering strictly nonfiction content in the areas of science, technology, civilization and the human spirit, has been dubbed the “new Netflix for non-fiction”
80. Hulu Plus, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, “ink[s] their own deals for exclusive and original content”, requiring Netflix “not only to continue to attract new subscribers, but also keep existing ones happy”
81. Netflix largely avoids offering pornography, but several “adult video” subscription services were inspired by Netflix, such as SugarInstant and WantedList
82. In Australia, Netflix most notably competes with Stan, the local SVOD competitor that only operates in the Australian marketplace and currently undercuts Netflix on monthly pricing while using extensive original Australian content as its major value proposition
83. Netflix currently holds a sizeable lead in market share over Stan
84. With Netflix reaching over 11.5 million household users in Australia in 2019 compared to Stan reaching over 2.5 million household users in the same period
85. In the Nordic countries, Netflix competes with Viaplay, HBO Nordic and C More
86. In Southeast Asia, Netflix competes with HOOQ, Astro On the Go, Sky on Demand, Singtel TV, HomeCable OnDemand, and iflix
87. In New Zealand, Netflix competes with local streaming companies including Television New Zealand (TVNZ), Mediaworks New Zealand, Sky Network Television, Lightbox, Neon and Quickflix
88. In Italy, Netflix competes with Infinity, Now TV and TIMvision
89. In South Africa, Netflix competes with Showmax
90. In the MENA region, Netflix competes with icflix, Starz Play Arabia, OSN’s Wavo, and iflix Arabia
91. Also, in Brazil, Netflix competes with Globoplay, a Grupo Globo’s streaming service, and PlayPlus, a Grupo Record’s streaming service
92. In Mexico, Televisa removed its content from Netflix in 2016 and moved it to its own streaming service Blim
93. The Walt Disney Company launched their own streaming service, Disney+, in November 2019
94. As a result, Disney content currently hosted on Netflix will begin to be phased out over the next couple of years
95. Disney reported in early 2020 that their subscriber count had blown past internal and industry estimates at 50 million globally
96. This was 22 million increase since the prior report two months earlier
97. In February 2019, police stormed the Netflix headquarters in Hollywood after a man with a gun was reported wandering around the premises
98. The buildings were placed on lockdown
99. On July 18, 2013, Netflix earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online-only web television programs at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards
100. Three of its web series, Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove and House of Cards, earned a combined 14 nominations (nine for House of Cards, three for Arrested Development and two for Hemlock Grove)