By the way, what does Netflix mean?

Maybe you visit Netflix regularly to discover new movies and series, or content from the catalog. But have you ever wondered what the name of this famous streaming platform is all about?

Founded in the United States more than 25 years ago, the video-on-demand service has actually had the same name since its creation in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Mark Randolph. A very simple word, easy to remember and pronounce, derived from two English terms:

• “Net”, as everyone knows, is nothing more and nothing less than a contraction of the word “Internet”, which means the network on which the platform will be developed.

• As for “flicks”, it is a slight variation of the American word “flicks”, a popular term for films and series.

Thus, in two syllables, Netflix promises its subscribers “movies and series” on the “Internet”.

However, if the brand developed too quickly on the Internet, from the beginning, Netflix still worked by mail. According to legend, the idea came to Reed Hastings after the latter was forced to pay fines for bringing the film to his video store late.

Originally, in 1998, Netflix was what could be described as an online movie rental store. Clients would contact him to place orders and the work would be mailed directly to them. From the following year, users of the service were offered a monthly subscription service, which has continued to grow ever since.

It wasn’t until 2007, a full decade after its creation, and after the advent of streaming, that Netflix was able to offer its subscribers direct access to their movies and series online, making its major revolution in becoming the service we know today. today.

From this key date, supported by an ever-increasing number of subscribers, Netflix could expand to other countries around the world, establish itself directly on game consoles, mobile phones or connected TVs, and start producing its own original content. .

Competing today with other platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ or Apple TV+, Netflix now has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide.

(Re)discover the trailer for House of Cards, one of the first series created by Netflix…