Jennifer Kent

Netflix Inc. is an American company engaged in the production and distribution of films and television series. Founded in 1997 in California by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, it specialized in real-time streaming over the internet and video-on-demand, as well as DVD distribution via mail. Its name is a portmanteau of "net" (referencing the internet) and "flicks" (a colloquial term for movies). Netflix's initial business model was DVD sales and rentals. However, about a year after its founding, Hastings discontinued DVD sales to focus on DVD rentals by mail. In 2007, Netflix expanded its business by offering the ability to watch movies over the internet through streaming media. In 2010, it expanded to Canada, and its streaming service continued to grow. As of January 2016, Netflix operates in over 190 countries.