The Netflix Effect

Netflix is the definitive media company of the 21st century. It was among the first to parlay new Internet technologies into a successful business model, and in the process it changed how consumers access film and television. It is now one of the leading providers of digitally delivered media content and is continually expanding access across a host of platforms and mobile devices. Despite its transformative role, however, Netflix has drawn very little critical attention-far less than competitors such as YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Comcast, and HBO.

This collection addresses this gap, as the essays are designed to critically explore the breadth and diversity of Netflix’s effect from a variety of different scholarly perspectives, a necessary approach considering the hybrid nature of Netflix, its inextricable links to new models of media production, distribution, viewer engagement and consumer behavior, its relationship to existing media conglomerates and consumer electronics, its capabilities as a web-based service provider and data network, and its reliance on a broader technological infrastructure.

Kevin McDonaldteaches in the Communication Studies Department at California State University, Northridge, USA. His research focuses on film theory, contemporary Hollywood, and media industries. He is author of Film Theory: The Basics.

Daniel Smith-Rowsey is a visiting lecturer at Sacramento City College, USA, and award-winning filmmaker. His book Star Actors in the Hollywood Renaissance was nominated for a 2014 First Book Award by the Society of Cinema and Media Studies. He has been published in various collections and in Bright Lights Film Journal, Jura Gentium, Newsweek, and Der Spiegel.