Top 15 Interesting Facts about Netflix (Update: April 2023 )

In this blog post, our topic is the Top 15 Interesting Facts about Netflix in 2023.

Do you want to know some Interesting Netflix facts? Well, here, we will tell you a couple of fascinating things about this popular streaming site.

It is a known fact that Netflix is among the largest and most popular video streaming sites today. This becomes evident when we look at the current number of users that use this platform. As of February 2023, Netflix has over 230.7 million active subscribers.

From watching TV shows to movies to web series, there is hardly any streaming platform that can go toe-to-toe with this media streaming giant.

While you might know a thing or two about Netflix, there are a few things that you still might not know. Below, we have curated 15 Interesting facts about Netflix that are bound to amaze you. Read on to find out.

Fascinating Netflix facts you probably never knew

Let us now see some of the best Netflix facts that will surely blow your mind:

1. Netflix’s original name was Kibble

During the initial year, the company had trouble picking an appropriate name for the platform. They came up with many different names, including Reply, NowShowing, eFlix, CinemaCenter, and so on.

At last, they settled for ‘Kibble’ which was the platform’s original name on paper until it got its present name ‘Netflix’ in 1998.

2. Netflix has taken an oath to keep releasing binge-able content

Netflix is known for its binge-able content release model. Although some people expressed doubts regarding the sustainability of this model, Netflix made it clear in a letter to shareholders that they would not abandon their signature model anytime soon.

In that letter, Netflix reinforced its commitment to its “binge-able release model,” as it proved to bring about “substantial engagement.”

The letter clarified that such engagement boost is especially in the cases of the latest titles. Netflix also gave instances of shows like ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ and ‘Squid Game,’ as the success of their binge-able model.

3. ‘Squid Game’ is Netflix’s most-watched series to date

As of yet, 2021’s popular Korean drama ‘Squid Game’ is still the most-watched series in the company’s history. The story revolving around various participants taking part in a series of fatal games to get rid of their huge debts kept the viewers on the edge of their seats.

This is evident in the fact that Netflix users have watched the series for a total of 1.65 billion hours. Yes, a whopping 1.65 billion hours. Besides, Netflix won six Emmys for it. Interestingly enough, ‘Squid Game’ is the first-ever foreign-language title to win an Emmy.

4. Netflix was facing losses for many years

While it might sound surprising, Netflix was operating at a loss for many years until of late. A reason behind being so was that Netflix was still growing as a company. However, in today’s world, online entertainment has taken the center stage and Netflix has capitalized on the situation.

Presently, Netflix is engaging in heavy investments in original content. It seems like we will reach a point in the near future where people will depend solely on streaming platforms instead of cable. So, this market has the potential to flourish.

5. Blockbuster declined a 50 million dollar offer to buy Netflix

Blockbuster was an iconic movie rental store that could not adapt to the changing times, went bankrupt, and stopped its operations. One big cause for such misfortune was Blockbuster’s reluctance to get rid of its dated business model that had no future.

Nonetheless, Netflix’s founder Reid Hastings attempted to sell his company Blockbuster back in 2000 for 50 million USD. While Hastings saw its potential, Netflix was unable to generate revenue. That’s why he decided to sell it, but Blockbuster rejected his offer. And, see it is at today.

6. Netflix once attempted to split the company

Netflix tried to create a separate company named Qwikster out of its DVD-by-mail service. The idea was that Netflix would concentrate solely on streaming and Qwikster would deal with the DVD-by-mail service, and gradually discontinue it.

Nevertheless, Netflix ultimately dropped this unpopular idea and Netflix never split into two separate companies.

7. Netflix employees are free to take as many leaves as their heart desires

While it may sound peculiar, Netflix’s work policies are quite unorthodox and praiseworthy. Provided that employees schedule their work ahead of time, Netflix lets them take as many days off as they wish.

Apart from that, every employee receives a free Netflix subscription from the company. We rarely see such work policies anywhere, right?

8. Netflix has introduced special socks that auto-pause your TV as soon as you fall asleep

Netflix has made special socks, namely ‘Netflix Socks’ for its users that can detect when a user has fallen asleep. Once detected, they can automatically pause the film/ TV show the user might be watching at that moment.

These socks have tiny electronic devices capable of detecting a user’s pulse. This makes sure that the user doesn’t miss out on anything when they wake up.

9. Netflix executives had to make house calls in the late 90s

Netflix is known for leaving no stone unturned when it comes to gaining knowledge about subscriber interaction. This helps Netflix to improve its suggestions. During the late 90s, Netflix executives called the subscribers who lived near their company for surveys.

The executives called users in California and its surrounding areas and invited them to observe their workings. When they visited, Netflix bought them coffee and tried to gather valuable insights about their usage.

10. It is possible to customize subtitles on Netflix

Whether you are on the mobile or the desktop version of Netflix, you are free to opt for subtitle customization. You can easily do that by navigating to your account page, and clicking/tapping on ‘Subtitle Appearance.’

This menu allows you to customize the transparency, font, size, shadow, background color, etc., of the subtitles appearing on your screen.

11. Netflix pays their employees to watch content from home

Although it might sound like a dream to those who can’t live without binge-watching their favorite shows, Netflix insists employees watch shows/movies from home and pays them for it. The job role is known as the ‘tagger.’

A tagger has to watch approximately 3 to 8 titles a week and gather data. Then, they have to sort out tags and subtags from a list of keywords. Such categorization aids Netflix in improving its recommendation, which is known as the ‘Netflix Quantum Theory.’

12. Employees have to take an oath not to disclose the locations of Netflix warehouses

As far as we know, Netflix is very secretive about its warehouse locations and it is not possible to find them on a map.

Utmost secrecy prevails even when their delivery trucks move from one place to another. These trucks move in a clandestine manner and have no marks on them.

Naturally, employees have to swear an oath that they too would maintain this secrecy and wouldn’t tell anyone where the warehouses are.

13. Netflix makes up 7.6% of the total TV time in the United States

We all know that Netflix has gained huge popularity in the United States and accounts for 7.6% of the total time spent on watching TV. In case you were unaware, this is way more TV time when compared to its rivals.

According to Netflix’s October letter (October 2022), its TV time is 2.6x the total time spent streaming on Amazon and 1.4x the total time viewers spent streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

14. Netflix has launched a ‘Basic with Ads’ plan in 12 countries

Netflix has launched a low-priced plan, namely ‘Basic with Ads’ in 12 countries, including the US, the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, etc. For your info, the plan costs only 6.99 USD/month and both new as well as existing customers can opt for it.

The introduction of this plan has made it possible for users who are unable to afford the rising subscription costs to keep their accounts active. While there are some limitations and five minutes of ads after every hour of streaming, the ‘Basic with Ads’ plan has made Netflix more affordable.

Provided that Netflix gradually rolls out this plan in the rest of the countries, it has the potential to attract more subscribers to the platform. Needless to say, this would only benefit the company in the long run.

15. ‘Example Show’ was the first released clip on Netflix

The Netflix management team tested the audio synchronization, framerates, video quality, and more by uploading a clip containing some random scenes. Known as the ‘Example Show,’ this short film was the first-ever released clip on the platform.

Conclusion of interesting facts about Netflix

As you can see, Netflix has no shortage when it comes to mind-blowing facts. Since its inception, the company has had its fair share of ups and downs. In this article, we listed some Interesting facts about Netflix. We hope that you liked them and got a new appreciation for the streaming platform which we all love.

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