The Netflix nostalgia reel, titled ‘The Story of Netflix,’ highlights its humble beginnings with the classic red envelope. The company was first formed on August 29, 1997, and allowed subscribers to rent physical DVDs from its vast library. While things have changed over the years, Netflix subscribers today can go down memory lane with the video. Additionally, the streaming giant has promised to share more fun facts from the past on social media throughout the day.
RELATED: Netflix’s Ad-Supported Plan Will Slash Subscription Price In Half
The video begins with a look at how the Netflix envelope changed over the years, followed by a voiceover explaining the streamer’s origins. Netflix’s website was created as a digital library, where subscribers could make a list of all the content they wanted to watch. “Suddenly, millions of DVDs are flying through the mail,” narrates the voiceover, as customers’ orders were delivered through standard post. Luckily, the advancement of the internet allowed the company to change its approach, and instead of waiting for their favorite movie to arrive in the mail, subscribers could just watch it online.
The video recognizes some of the early big hits on Netflix, including House of Cards, Arrested Development, Black Mirror, Narcos, The Crown, and many others. These shows were monumental in bringing a loyal fan base to the streamer, which returned season after season. “Binge is the new way we watched stuff, and it gave everyone something to talk about,” states the voiceover, which is entirely true. Netflix is responsible for the concept of binge-watching by dropping entire seasons of a series in one day.
The video also highlights the diversity in the Netflix original series. “They had never seen a cast like this,” the voiceover points out while referring to popular shows like Orange is the New Black, Bridgerton, and the record-breaking Squid Game. It also showcases the different languages that subscribers can now stream in, and uses Stranger Things as an example in this case. The various hit shows that Netflix has produced over the past decade have also led to some interesting viral memes and trends, with everyone wanting to play chess at one point courtesy The Queen’s Gambit. It has been a long journey for Netflix to get to this point, and with its 220 million subscribers, the platform is still the leader in the global streaming market.
Some fun facts that Netflix has shared with its subscribers so far are that the first DVD that the company shipped was Beetlejuice on March 10, 1998. Boss Baby remains the most used profile icon globally, currently used on 11 million profiles. The first Netflix DVD envelope was white, not the current shade of red and the company first started streaming in 2007.
MORE: 8 Underappreciated Foreign Language Netflix Horror Movies
Source: Netflix/YouTube
