The ENTIRE History of Netflix in 14 Minutes

The history of Netflix and the Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph story: how Netflix went from mailing DVDs in plain paper envelopes out of Scotts Valley, California, to streaming in almost every country. Over twenty-five years, Netflix mailed more than five billion DVDs across the United States. In January 2025 it said it had passed three hundred million paid memberships, and for the second quarter of 2026 it reported revenue of about 12.6 billion dollars. This documentary follows the complete history of Netflix: Blockbuster's 9,094 stores and Redbox's kiosks, Reed Hastings in the Peace Corps, Pure Software, Marc Randolph's mail-order start, the Patsy Cline CD sent through the post, the Apollo 13 late-fee story, the founding in Scotts Valley in 1997, the 1998 website with 925 titles, the monthly subscription, Ted Sarandos, the fifty-million-dollar meeting with Blockbuster in Dallas, the 2002 listing on the Nasdaq, Blockbuster Online, the Netflix Prize and Cinematch, the move to streaming in 2007, the 2008 database crash and the move to Amazon Web Services, the launch in Canada and Blockbuster's Chapter 11, Jeff Bewkes and the Albanian army, the 2011 price rise and Qwikster, House of Cards, 130 new territories at CES in 2016, the 2022 subscriber decline, the plan with ads and paid sharing, Greg Peters, the last DVD in 2023, WWE, the Warner Bros. deal and the 2.8 billion dollar termination fee, Bela Bajaria and Peter Rice, and the Texas lawsuit. The last chapter follows Netflix in 2026: a bidding war it lost that still paid it billions, another price rise, a founder leaving the board and a new chief of content, all in a year of slower growth. Update, 20 October 2026: Reed Hastings left the Netflix board after the annual shareholders meeting on 4 June 2026, and Jay Hoag became chairman. Texas v. Netflix was still pending, with no ruling reported. This video was finished before Netflix reported its third-quarter 2026 results, scheduled for 20 October 2026. Every figure, date and quote in this episode comes from company filings, court records and reporting, listed below by name. Where something is still in dispute, we tell you who claims it, what the company says in reply, and where the case stands. SOURCES Blockbuster Inc. — Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2004 (2005) Hawaii News Now — Blockbuster files for bankruptcy; Hawaii stores remain open (2010) Wikipedia — Reed Hastings (2026) Wikipedia — Marc Randolph (2026) Wikipedia — Timeline of Netflix (2026) NPR — Before Launch, Netflix Scraps 'Qwikster' (2011) The Irish Times — Netflix shares fall 35% after revealing drop in streaming subscribers (2022) Axios — Reed Hastings stepping down as Netflix co-CEO to become executive chairman (2023) Netflix — Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Following the Separation of Discovery Global for a Total Enterprise Value of $82.7 Billion (Equity Value of $72.0 Billion) (2025) TheWrap — Jeff Bewkes Walks Back Netflix-Albanian Army Dig After Streamer Wins WBD Bidding War: 'An Unfortunate Flippant Remark' (2025) TheWrap — Paramount Pays Netflix $2.8 Billion Breakup Fee After Warner Bros. Deal Win (2026) Associated Press via NY1 — Netflix cofounder and chairman Reed Hastings to step down from board of directors (2026) Netflix, Inc. — Second Quarter 2026 Letter to Shareholders, Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1 (2026) TheWrap — Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria Out, to be Replaced by Peter Rice (2026) Bloomberg Law — Texas AG Hits Netflix With Suit Over Sale of Kids', Users' Data (2026) ABC (6abc) — Lawsuit claims Netflix is designed to be addictive (2026) CHAPTERS 0:00 The Bet That Killed The DVD 1:23 Two Men And A Mailbox 2:54 The Fifty Million Dollar No 4:13 Envelopes To The Internet 5:47 Qwikster 7:15 Making Its Own Shows, Everywhere 8:21 The Streaming Wars 9:43 Netflix In 2026 The illustrations in this video are AI-generated from text descriptions, including the stick-figure and illustrated portrait depictions of real people. They are not photographs or footage, and products and places are drawn as generic versions without real logos. The facts and figures come from the sources listed above. Every company history here is condensed and cannot include everything. Disputes and allegations are reported as allegations, with the company's response and the outcome or status as of publication. Not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any company, person or institution named. Nothing here is investment, financial or legal advice. Long Story Inc. — the entire history of one company at a time, from the first sale to this month's headlines. #Netflix #NetflixHistory #BusinessHistory #CompanyHistory #BusinessDocumentary #Documentary #ReedHastings #MarcRandolph #TedSarandos #Blockbuster #Qwikster #HouseOfCards #LongStoryInc