The 28-year rise of Netflix, from DVD-by-mail service to Hollywood juggernautNEWS | 09 December 2025Netflix cracked down on password-sharing in 2024, helping to boost its fortunes.
Netflix cracked down on password-sharing in 2024, helping to boost its fortunes. CFOTO/CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Netflix cracked down on password-sharing in 2024, helping to boost its fortunes. CFOTO/CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
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In the last two decades, Netflix has grown from a DVD company to the winner of the streaming wars — and now a major Hollywood acquirer.
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded Netflix in 1997, launching its DVD rental business the following year. Netflix's video streaming service debuted a decade later in 2007.
The rise of Netflix prompted competitors like Disney, Comcast, and more to launch their own rival services, kicking off the streaming wars. Netflix has remained dominant — and plans to grow larger still, striking a deal to acquire HBO Max and a slew of major film and TV franchises as part of a $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Here's how Netflix rose into a Hollywood behemoth.Author: Henry Chandonnet. Travis Clark. Geoff Weiss. Source
