Netflix Wins Domain Dispute and Expanding Global Dominance
Jan/21/2025
In a WIPO decision, Netflix successfully secured the transfer of two domain names, <netflixfilmsoriginals.com> and <netflixinternational.com>, which were found to impersonate the company. Despite their inactive status, the domains’ registration and use were ruled in bad faith. Netflix recently surpassed 300 million subscribers, reaching a record 301.6 million by the end of Q4 2024, after gaining 18 million new subscribers—its highest quarterly increase since the start of the Covid pandemic. Quarterly net profit doubled to $1.9 billion from $938 million a year ago, beating analysts’ expectations and boosting the company’s shares by over 13%. This surge is attributed to popular content like the latest season of Squid Game, increased interest in live sports broadcasts, and stricter measures to prevent password sharing. From its origins as a DVD-by-mail service, Netflix has grown into a global streaming leader with nearly 283 million subscribers as of Q3 2023 and annual revenue increases surpassing $30 billion since transitioning to streaming in 2007. While the U.S. and Canada remain its largest markets, rising costs and competition have driven growth in regions like EMEA, bolstered by strategies such as a low-cost ad-supported tier and anti-account sharing measures. Netflix’s success lies in its extensive catalog of original content, with a planned $15.4 billion spend on productions in 2024 and a focus on non-English programming and live events like NFL games. The following chart illustrates the market capitalization of the largest internet companies worldwide as of October 2024, providing further context for Netflix’s position and influence within the broader digital and entertainment sectors.
