Netflix facts for kids
Netflix's logo used since June 2014
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Type of site
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OTT platform |
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| Available in |
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| Founded | August 29, 1997 |
| Headquarters | Los Gatos, California, US |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Area served | Worldwide (except China, Crimea, North Korea, Russia, and Syria) |
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| Parent | Netflix, Inc. |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Users |  325 million (as of January 20, 2026[update]) |
| Launched | April 14, 1998 (as a DVD e-commerce) January 16, 2007 (as a streaming service) |
| Current status | Active |
Netflix is a very popular online service where you can watch movies and TV shows. It's like having a huge library of entertainment right at your fingertips! You can stream all sorts of films and series, from exciting adventures to funny comedies, in many different languages.
Netflix started in 2007, but the company, Netflix, Inc., actually began by renting out DVDs through the mail almost ten years earlier. Today, Netflix is the biggest streaming service in the world. Millions of people in over 190 countries use it to watch their favorite content. Netflix also makes its own shows and movies, called "Netflix Originals," and has even started offering mobile games and live sports events!
Contents
What is Netflix?
Netflix is a streaming television service that lets you watch movies and TV shows over the internet. It offers a wide variety of content, including its own original productions and shows from other companies. You can watch Netflix on many devices, like smart TVs, phones, tablets, and game consoles.
How Netflix Started
Netflix was founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in 1997. It began as a service that rented out DVDs by mail. Imagine getting movies delivered right to your home!
From DVDs to Streaming
In 1998, Netflix started with a system where you paid for each DVD rental. But soon after, in 1999, they introduced a monthly subscription plan, which was a new idea at the time. By 2005, Netflix was sending out a million DVDs every day!
The big change came in 2007 when Netflix launched its streaming service. This allowed people to watch movies and shows instantly over the internet, without waiting for DVDs. At first, there were only about 1,000 films available for streaming, but this number quickly grew. This new way of watching content became incredibly popular.
In 2010, Netflix expanded outside the United States, launching in Canada. This was the first step in making Netflix a global service. A plan to separate the DVD and streaming services in 2011 caused some confusion and unhappiness among customers, so Netflix decided to keep them together.
Amazing Netflix Shows and Movies
Netflix has a huge collection of movies and TV shows for everyone. They work with many different studios to bring you content. You can find everything from animated films to exciting dramas.
Netflix Originals: Made Just for You
Netflix started making its own shows in 2011. These are called "Netflix Originals." One of the first big hits was House of Cards in 2013. Another popular show that year was Orange Is the New Black. Netflix noticed that people loved to watch many episodes at once, so they started releasing entire seasons of shows all at once.
Some other famous Netflix Originals include Marvel series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and the hugely popular show Stranger Things. Netflix also makes many international shows, like Dark from Germany and Squid Game from South Korea, which became one of its most-watched shows ever.
Netflix also works with famous creators and studios. For example, they have deals with DreamWorks Animation for kids' shows and with Roald Dahl Story Company to create new stories based on classic books.
Playing Games on Netflix
In 2021, Netflix started adding mobile games to its service. These games are included with your subscription and don't have ads. You can find games based on popular shows like Stranger Things and other fun titles. Netflix is always adding new games and even has its own game development studios. In November 2025, Netflix released its first TV games, which members can play using their phone as a controller. In April 2026, Netflix launched "Netflix Playground," a gaming app for children with ad-free, offline-playable games.
Netflix and Sports
Netflix has also moved into the world of sports! They started with popular sports documentaries like Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Full Swing.
More recently, Netflix began streaming live sports events. In November 2024, they streamed a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which was watched by millions. In December 2024, Netflix became the exclusive US broadcaster for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031. They also aired their first-ever NFL games on Christmas Day 2024, which became the most-streamed NFL games in US history.
Starting in January 2025, Netflix streams Raw, a popular wrestling show, for 10 years in many countries. In the fall of 2025, Netflix also started streaming World Baseball Classic games in Japan and acquired rights to selected Major League Baseball (MLB) events in the United States for the 2026 to 2028 seasons. In March 2026, Elle Duncan became Netflix’s first sports anchor.
How Netflix Works Around the World
Netflix is available almost everywhere in the world! You can find it in over 190 countries. However, it is not available in China, Crimea, North Korea, Russia, and Syria.
Your Netflix Account
When you subscribe to Netflix, you can choose from different plans. These plans offer different video quality and allow you to watch on a certain number of screens at the same time.
Netflix encourages people to use their own accounts or accounts within their household. A household means people who live in the same location as the account owner. In 2022, Netflix started testing ways to manage account sharing in some countries. In 2023, these rules were expanded to more places, including the US and Canada.
In November 2022, Netflix also launched a new, more affordable plan called "Basic with Ads." This plan includes commercials during shows and movies. In April 2026, Netflix raised its U.S. subscription prices across all plans.
Devices That Support Netflix
You can watch Netflix on many different devices! This includes:
- Computers through a web browser
- Mobile phones and tablet computers with the Netflix app
- Smart TVs
- Digital media players like Roku and Apple TV
- Video game consoles like Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5
Some older devices, like the PlayStation 2 and Wii, no longer support Netflix.
Smart Technology Behind Netflix
Netflix uses clever technology to make your viewing experience great. They have a special system called Open Connect that helps deliver videos quickly and smoothly to your devices. This means less buffering and more watching!
How Netflix Recommends Shows
Have you ever wondered how Netflix knows what shows you might like? It uses a smart recommendation system! This system looks at what you've watched before, what you've searched for, and even what you've rated. It also considers what other people with similar tastes enjoy.
Netflix organizes shows into different categories and even creates "micro-genres" like "Goofy TV Shows" or "Girls Night In" to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Each show has a special picture, called a thumbnail, and Netflix might even change this picture to one that it thinks you'll find most interesting based on your viewing habits!
Netflix Wins Awards!
Netflix shows and movies have won many important awards over the years!
In 2013, Netflix made history by earning the first Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for streaming programs. House of Cards won the first Emmy for a streaming service. Later, Orange Is the New Black also won a Golden Globe Award for its star, Robin Wright.
Netflix films have also won Academy Awards (Oscars). In 2018, Icarus won for Best Documentary Feature. In 2022, The Power of the Dog won Best Director. In 2023, All Quiet on the Western Front won four Oscars, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio won Best Animated Feature.
Netflix often receives the most Emmy nominations of any network or studio. For example, in July 2025, Netflix received 120 Emmy nominations, and its show Adolescence won for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. In January 2026, Netflix received 18 Academy Award nominations, with Emilia Pérez being the most nominated non-English language film in Oscar history.
Images for kids
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Netflix's "N" icon used since 2016
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Netflix advertising in Bangkok
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Netflix's booth at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
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Ted Sarandos, who became co-CEO in 2020
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Map showing countries where Netflix is available
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A remote control with a Netflix button
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See also
In Spanish: Netflix para niños
- List of streaming media services
