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Netflix changed the damn universe, guys. Gone are the days of getting into your car to drive to “Joe’s Movie Shack” or Blockbuster to try and fight your entire town for a copy of the latest DVD, and here are the days of binge-watching nearly anything you want to. We stream from airplanes. We stream from coffeeshops. We Netflix and Chill for first dates. We just can’t stop watching whatever the service releases.
Given the popularity of Netflix now, anyone who forecasted such success all the way back in 2007 when the streaming service first went public would be handsomely rewarded. That’s because, according to CNBC, a $1,000 investment in the company on January 15, 2007 would have a wild return of $110,000 at the midday point in today’s stock market — which has Netflix selling a share for $360. You guys, that’s 110 times more than your initial investment, so that’s what we call smart AF.
With Netflix basically creating the market, we’ve seen plenty of other competitors try to duplicate a similar model these days. From Hulu to ESPN+ to soon-to-come streaming services like Disney+, every one of them hopes they can steal some of Netflix’s thunder. But, according to the CNBC article, many investors are optimistic that the original streaming service will still have staying power over others.
“While other services may carve out valuable add-on positions, we do not expect the launch of new services from Apple, Disney, AT&T, or others to meaningfully impact Netflix,” they said. “We continue to view Netflix’s strategic positioning very favorably.”
Investment banking company Deutsche Bank raised its rating on Netflix shares from “hold” to “buy” early Tuesday, saying the service is becoming more like a “platform” every day.
“Platform status brings network effects not available to peers and competitors,” analyst Bryan Kraft wrote in a note. “Specifically, this is making Netflix even more of a go-to destination when consumers want to watch something, and it means having Netflix is becoming more of a cultural necessity for people around the world. It also makes Netflix a magnet for talent. ”
That’s got to be good news for anyone who currently owns Netflix stock, like myself, but, damn, wouldn’t it be nice to be sitting on a cool $110,000 from a simple $1,000 investment just 12 years ago? Rather than streaming movies and TV shows from their home, those people are on their private yacht binge-watching content. Lucky ducks, they are.
(H/T CNBC)