subject: About Netflix And Its Benefits [print this page] Just about every consumer on the Internet has heard of Netflix. Yet not many people know much about the history of Netflix. In this article, I will quickly review the rich history of this company, and also give you a link to a 2 week Netflix free trial.
Netflix was founded in 1997 by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings, in Scotts Valley, California. The website launched in 1998 and offered rentals online. Within a couple years, Netflix started allowing unlimited rentals using a subscription model.
The service grew quickly and Netflix went public in 2002. Around the IPO time, Netflix had a modest number of subscribers numbering between 500,000 and 1,000,000. Today its membership is 14 million. Quite a few competitors have entered the DVD rental market, such as Blockbuster. However, Netflix has managed to continue its success, in part because of its technologies like its online video recommendation system.
Netflix's current library of DVDs numbers over 100,000 titles. In recent years, Netflix has added an online streaming service allowing people to watch films online. This service is offered free to members, and currently has 17,000 titles that can be viewed free over a computer connected to the Internet, or by using an Netflix-ready device attached to the TV.
Despite its success in the US, Netflix has yet to expand into international markets in a major way. A few years ago, Netflix had plans to offer its service in the UK, but it eventually decided not to go forward. There are active plans, however, to expand into Canada some time in 2010.
There are many benefits to joining Netflix. One of the best things is that there are no due dates or late fees. Also, you can rent unlimited DVDs for a single monthly subscription cost. If you are eager to try out Netflix, I highly recommend you take advantage of the free trial available at Netflix. This will allow you to use the Netflix service for a full 2 weeks before having to pay anything.
