An example of a type of media that attracts a worldwide audience is Netflix, Netflix is by far dominating the streaming video market with 139 million paid memberships in over 190 countries according to the Netflix media centre (Netflix Media Center, n.d.). When Netflix was founded in 1997, it focused dominantly on DVD rentals by mail, shaking up an industry that was already beginning to falter with the rise of the Internet. When Netflix began its streaming service in 2007,  it allowed consumers to watch movies and television shows online. This continued with the emergence of smart TVs and devices such as Chromecast and Apple TV, that allow consumers to watch Netflix on their big screen sets. 

Netflix provides these global audiences with a large range of TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. This allows us to watch as much as we want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. This type of streaming media has now influenced our livelihood and determines what we do in our everyday lifestyle now and across the world.

Netflix has changed its great TV series business creating it to become a must for stuff from all over the place.  A study done by May, Cowen & Co., as reported by Variety, shows that Netflix is now officially more popular than traditional cable and broadcast television, as well as YouTube, for viewing content on TV(Brien, J., Fedich, J., Beauchamp, S. and Odom, J, 2019). This study conducted a survey of 2,500 U.S. adults who answered questions about which platforms they use most often to view video content on TV (Brien, J., Fedich, J., Beauchamp, S. and Odom, J, 2019). Netflix came in at the top, with 27 percent of those surveyed choosing the streaming subscription service platform. In comparison, YouTube only came in at 17 percent, with basic cable at 12.6 percent and broadcast TV at a measly 7.5 percent. Hulu came in next to last at 7.6 percent (Brien, J., Fedich, J., Beauchamp, S. and Odom, J, 2019).

Netflix will continue to grow in popularity, as more shows get pushed off of network TV and picked up by the service. Just recently, Netflix picked up the cancelled Fox series, Lucifer gaining itself a reputation as a company that wants to give TV viewers the content they want to see. With television viewers growing increasingly frustrated with broadcast and cable TV, the popularity of Netflix will continue to rise. All that’s left to do is let me know where you catch your favourite shows and movies in the comments below.

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References:

Netflix Media Center. (n.d.). About Netflix. [online] Available at: https://media.netflix.com/en/about-netflix [Accessed 4 Apr. 2019]

Forbes.com. (2018). Why Is Netflix So Popular Despite Its Limited Selection?. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/01/03/why-is-netflix-so-popular-despite-its-limited-selection/#3c68c5332d9e [Accessed 5 Aug. 2019].

Brien, J., Fedich, J., Beauchamp, S. and Odom, J. (2019). Netflix Is Now More Popular Than Traditional TV. [online] ScreenRant. Available at: https://screenrant.com/netflix-popular-broadcast-cable-tv-viewing/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2019].

Mashable (2015). Is Netflix Killing Television? | Mashable Explains. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjsnLhtLYzM [Accessed 5 Aug. 2019].

innovation village (2016). NETFLIX LAUNCHES IN 130 NEW COUNTRIES INCLUDING NIGERIA. [image] Available at: https://innovation-village.com/netflix-launches-in-130-new-countries-including-nigeria/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 2019].

Microsoft (n.d.). Get Netflix. [image] Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-za/p/netflix/9wzdncrfj3tj?activetab=pivot:overviewtab [Accessed 6 Aug. 2019].

Usborne, S. (2019). Netflix’s ‘new world order’: a streaming giant on the brink of global domination. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/apr/17/netflixs-new-world-order-a-streaming-giant-on-the-brink-of-global-domination [Accessed 27 Aug. 2019].