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Netflix Nations

The Geography of Digital Distribution

Ramon Lobato
NYU Press, 2019

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8

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Recommendation

Netflix is so ubiquitous that it’s a verb, with users saying “Let’s Netflix it,” or “Netflix and chill.” Netflix is an interesting case study for those interested in the future of global television, says media and communication researcher Ramon Lobato, as it leverages both local and global strategies, catering to audiences multifaceted desires within one platform. Glean valuable insights into how Netflix’s rise to global dominance impacts media policy, user preferences and television distribution across the world. For Lobato, Netflix’s journey from DVD-rental service to a major disruptor of the entertainment industry illustrates the tensions between the desire for globalization and localizaiton.

Summary

In disrupting traditional media, Netflix creates a new paradigm for entertainment on a global level.

Part of Netflix’s success, as the world’s biggest subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, lies in the fact that it managed to bridge two American obsessions, home entertainment and e-commerce. Founded in California in 1997 as a DVD mail-order rental service by entrepreneurs Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph – who worked as an executive in direct sales – Netflix launched its streaming platform in 2007, outcompeting its rival Blockbuster. Today, Netflix is popular around the globe, with over half of its subscribers living outside the United States. As Netflix’s international audience grows, it flexibly evolves with it, strategically localizing content and reflecting user preferences in its licensing, marketing and original programming.

Think of Netflix as a “shapeshifter,” rather than trying to prescribe a simplistic role to it, as it’s a complex, multifaceted company, occupying multiple roles. While Netflix used to define itself as “the world’s online movie rental service” in 2009, today it refers to itself as a “global...

About the Author

Ramon Lobato is the author of The Informal Media Economy; Shadow Economies of Cinema; and Geoblocking and Global Video Culture. He’s also a media and communication senior research fellow at RMIT University, Melbourne.

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