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Netflix is really the first streaming service that existed. It has been streaming movies and TV shows since around 2007. Though the service has been around since 1997, when it would mail out DVDs to customers to watch movies and TV shows, and they could return it whenever they wanted.
Now, Netflix is one of the biggest streaming services, and it’s available virtually everywhere in the world. It boasts over 200 million paid subscribers worldwide, and it does even still offer DVDs. Though that’s a pretty small part of their business at this point.
Netflix transitioned from a company that licensed content from studios to one making its own content in the early 2010s. Now it does still do some content licensing, but a majority of its new content is original content made specifically for Netflix.
Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Netflix.
What is Netflix?
Netflix is a streaming service (and a production company) which launched on August 29, 1997. Originally, it offered movies and TV shows on DVDs that could be mailed out to its subscribers. For a monthly fee, you could get up to 3 DVDs at once. Keep them as long as you wanted, and once you returned them, Netflix would send out a new title from your queue that you picked out.
In 2000, when Blockbuster was actually doing well, it declined a chance to buy Netflix. Of course, Netflix is around today and Blockbuster isn’t. Well at least not in its original form. There is still a single Blockbuster location left in Bend, Oregon. Considering Blockbuster could have bought Netflix for $50 million, that would have been a steal. As Netflix has a market cap of $82 billion right now (and that’s after its stock price has been cut by more than half in 2022, partly due to losing subscribers for the first time in a decade and the entire stock market entering a bear market).
Netflix is now a streaming service that offers millions of hours of content that you can stream. It does still offer DVDs that can be mailed out. Though that is a pretty small part of their business now. And likely only being used by those in remote parts of the US and other countries where broadband internet is still fairly slow and not great for streaming.
It has grown to become one of the largest streaming services in the world, though Disney+ and HBO MAX aren’t far behind it.
How much does it cost?
Netflix now has three plans. It’s really two plus an ad-supported plan. But they are three different prices. Netflix debuted its ad-supported plan last year, which is now the cheapest. Here’s the pricing for all of the plans.
- Standard with ads – $6.99/month
- Standard – $15.49/month
- Premium – $22.99/month
The standard and Standard with Ads plans are essentially the same; really, the only difference is ads. Both give you up to 1080p resolution, and the non-Ads plan provides the ability to download content to watch offline on up to two devices.
Then there’s the Premium plan. This one doubles to four screens simultaneously, and you can download it on up to four different devices. It also supports streaming in 4K HDR resolution.
Netflix has also cracked down on password sharing, so you can add an extra member to your plan for $7.99 each per month on the Standard and Premium plans. This is not available for the Standard with Ads plan because it’s actually cheaper to get your own plan at $6.99 versus paying for the extra member.
How can I get it for free?
T-Mobile does give its customers Netflix for “free.” T-Mobile prefers not to say “free”, instead say its “included”. But there are a few caveats here.
It’s available on the new Go5G Next and Go5G Plus plans (it’s still available on some Magenta plans, however). You can get “Netflix on Us” with either plan, which starts at $90 per month for a single line.
The Essentials plan and the entry-level Go5G plan do not include Netflix, because these are significantly cheaper.
Password sharing
Because Netflix keeps going up in price, many people resort to password sharing and share their account with multiple people, and split the price too. So if you have the Premium plan and share with four people, that breaks down to about $5 per month. Which isn’t bad. Netflix knows this is an issue and is working on cracking down on password sharing.
In late 2022, it plans to start charging those that do share passwords a bit more for Netflix, or forcing them to get their own plans. Netflix now allows you to add an extra family member for $7.99 per month on the Standard and Premium plans. The Standard with Ads plan does not allow this, and it makes sense. Since Standard with Ads is $6.99 per month and the extra family member is $7.99 per month.
Ads are here
Netflix has finally added ads. After many, many years of not having any ads. There’s now an ad-supported tier that will cost you $6.99 per month. It’s a pretty decent price, but there are a couple of caveats here. Not every thing that is available on Netflix is available on this plan. Netflix says “all but a few movies and TV shows are available”. But the reason for this is because of the way content is licensed. Studios are able to license content as ad-free and separately as ad-supported. And the majority of the content that Netflix licensed was for ad-free streaming. They have since worked to renegotiate and change these licensing deals, so most content is available on this plan now.
You’ll see ads before and after each show or movie. They aren’t that bad, especially in comparison to some other services out there. Netflix will also let you download titles on two supported devices at a time, and you can watch in full HD or 1080p. Finally that sub-HD tier is gone from Netflix.
Where is Netflix available?
It is available virtually everywhere. Netflix does not have an official list for countries at this time, but says that it is available in over 190 countries. And notes that it is not available in China, Crimea, North Korea, Russia and Syria. The usual countries that American companies aren’t available in, basically.
The catalog of movies and TV shows does vary based on where you are located. So you might see more titles available in Canada that aren’t available in the US. Part of this comes down to the fact that different studios own rights to different titles in different countries. So Netflix may have the rights to a title in the UK, but not in Mexico. That’s where the use of a VPN comes in. Many will use a VPN to be in another country and watch Netflix from that country.
Does Netflix offer games?
Netflix does actually offer a few games. In late 2021, Netflix announced that it had launched five games within the Netflix app on Android and iOS. Those include:
- Stranger Things: 1984 (BonusXP)
- Stranger Things 3: The Game (BonusXP)
- Shooting Hoops (Frosty Pop)
- Card Blast (Amuzo & Rogue Games)
- Teeter Up (Frosty Pop)
Netflix is planning to make more games based off of the intellectual property that they own. Like with Stranger Things, which is a very popular title for the company. You can learn more about Netflix games here.
What content does Netflix offer?
Netflix has so many movies and TV shows that you can watch. Whether these are licensed from other studios, or are Netflix Originals.
Each month, we update our “What’s coming to Netflix this month” article with all of the new titles heading to Netflix, so you can see what is on the way. There’s usually a good 100 or so titles coming each month. So there’s always a new slate of titles available for you to watch.
Some of the bigger names for Netflix include Selling Sunset, Tiger King, Stranger Things, House of Cards, and Bridgerton.
What platforms is it available on?
At this point, Netflix is available on virtually every platform out there. That includes:
- Android
- Android TV
- Google TV
- Apple TV
- iOS
- iPad
- Web Browsers: Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox One S
- Xbox One X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Series X
- VIZIO Smart TVs
- LG Smart TVs
- Samsung Smart TVs
Just to name a few. The only really major caveat is projectors that have Android TV. Netflix certifies devices in a way that makes it impossible for most projectors to get Netflix installed if they are using Android TV. Basically, the product needs to sell a million units before it will certify it. And most projectors don’t sell anywhere near that.
Can I still rent physical DVDs?
No.
In September 2023, Netflix ended its DVD service. It was announced back in April of 2023 that it would be ending this service. Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings stated that “our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that’s going to become increasingly difficult.”
Seeing as most people don’t have a DVD player anymore, this makes sense. Many are going to be streaming instead, since you can watch movies instantly, instead of waiting for Netflix to mail it to you.
Should I sign up for Netflix?
So here’s the million dollar question, should you sign up? That’s becoming a tougher and tougher question these days. As Netflix is continuing to raise prices. And spending more on content – content that a lot of people don’t watch. While also cancelling a lot of their most popular shows after a season or two.
Our take is that you should sign up and check out the service. See if it is right for you. There is a lot of content available compared to other services – except maybe HBO MAX. So try it out, and see if you like it. That’s the beauty with streaming services, is you can try it out and cancel it pretty easily. In fact, we have a tutorial on how to cancel Netflix here.
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