How Netflix Expanded to 190 Countries in 7 Years

Netflix’s global growth is a big factor in the company’s success. It operates in over 190 countries, and its international streaming revenues now exceed its domestic revenues. But only eight years ago Netflix was only in the U.S. How did it expand so quickly? First, it didn’t enter all markets at once. It started slowly, in countries that were similar to its U.S. home market. Using what it learned in these markets, it expanded to a few dozen countries by 2015, and then continued learning and growing from there. Second, it adapted to local cultures and preferences, using that knowledge to appeal to customers all over the world, both with its content offerings and with the partnerships it formed with local stakeholders. Netflix’s strategy constitutes a new approach to growth that the author calls exponential globalization, and it’s one that other companies can use too.