On the rise of Netflix

I don’t know about you, but the internet dethroned television as the main source of entertainment for me years ago. Network TV has been dead since Lost. And cable has been kept alive mostly by The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. But other than that, I haven’t been tuning in much.

It wasn’t until late August of 2016 when I finally joined the Netflix bandwagon. It was a warm Texas afternoon during the hottest summer ever. It was a Friday and with no plans to rip me from the comfort of my own home, I browsed the Netflix catalog for something to entertain me. I found Marco Polo, which sparked my interest, so I delved in.

Since that fateful night, I have gotten to know much more of Netflix’s programming and I am impressed. There is great stuff going on here. Game-changing innovation that is turning heads.

I like Netflix for three main reasons: its distribution model, its original programming, and its ambitious budget.

Netflix’s distribution model is free of the restrictive red tape that holds back traditional television. Long gone are the days of scheduling your top programming on Thursday night when the biggest audience is tuning in. Instead, Netflix lets us choose when and where we want to watch our favorite shows & movies. I watch on my laptop or my iPad whenever I want. Furthermore, they make the entire season available — in the case of series — to binge-watch all at once it if pleases you.

The programming itself is fantastic. What’s more, Netflix is producing content in different languages and is exploring themes either forgone or poorly executed by TV studios. So far, I have watched programming in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. However, they are creating content in other languages as well. I love that Netflix is catering to a global audience. Some of my favorite productions so far include The Get Down, House of Cards, Stranger Things, The Crown, Marco Polo, Narcos, and Luke Cage.

Netflix spent a staggering $5 billion in 2016 on original programming (Bloomberg). That’s more than Time Warner, Fox, and Disney. That’s like the budget of the Avengers multiplied by 20. Yeah, that’s crazy money. With that kinda loot, they’re making shows people want to watch.

Rest assured Netflix is gonna be around for a long time. In fact, I believe they will become one of the world’s biggest technology companies. They’ll be up there with Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon.

If you didn’t have enough reason to “cut the cord” before, Netflix might be it. At a fraction of the cost of cable, it gives you more bang for your buck.

So if you will excuse me, I’m going to watch the Luke Cage season finale. Cheers.