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Later in the month, Netflix also acquired the Texas-based mobile game developer, Boss Fight Entertainment, for an undisclosed sum. Netflix announced plans to acquire Next Games in March 2022 for €65 million as part of Netflix’s expansions into gaming. In May 2026, Netflix announced they would air the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show starting in 2027. Also that month, former baseball player Barry Bonds was announced to be joining Netflix for MLB coverage. In March 2026, it was announced that Elle Duncan was leaving ESPN to become Netflix’s first sports anchor.

Netflix played a major role in changing how audiences watch television by encouraging binge-watching, in which viewers watch multiple episodes of a series in one sitting. In response, the company announced it would reduce bit rate across all streams in Europe, thus decreasing Netflix traffic on European networks by around 25%. In 2020, Netflix disclosed that it had complied with government requests to non gamstop casinos restrict access to content in countries including Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Germany.

• On January 16, 2014, Netflix became the first streaming service to earn an Academy Award nomination when The Square was nominated for Best Documentary Feature.
• Netflix negotiated to distribute animated films from Universal that HBO declined to acquire, such as The Lorax, ParaNorman, and Minions.
• In May 2026, Netflix announced they would air the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show starting in 2027.

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Later that month, Netflix also acquired the Texas-based mobile game developer, Boss Fight Entertainment, for an undisclosed sum. On December 6, 2021, Netflix and Stage 32 announced that they have teamed up the workshops at the Creating Content for the Global Marketplace program. On September 20, Netflix signed a long-term lease with Aviva Investors to operate and expand the Longcross Studios in Surrey, UK. Within its first 28 days on the service, Squid Game drew more than 111 million viewers, surpassing Bridgerton and becoming Netflix’s most-watched show. In 2019, he had agreed to produce an anime-style web series inspired by Norse mythology. On June 10, Netflix announced it was launching an online store for curated products tied to the Netflix brand and shows such as Stranger Things and The Witcher.

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In February 2019, The Haunting creator Mike Flanagan joined frequent collaborator Trevor Macy as a partner in Intrepid Pictures, and the duo signed an exclusive deal with Netflix to produce television content. At the same time, the company signed an overall deal with Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. In May 2018, former president, Barack Obama, and his wife, Michelle Obama, signed a deal to produce docuseries, documentaries, and features for Netflix under the Obamas’ newly formed production company, Higher Ground Productions. In April 2017, Netflix signed a licensing deal with IQIYI, a Chinese video streaming platform owned by Baidu, to allow selected Netflix Original content to be distributed in China on the platform. In April 2015, following the launch of Daredevil, Netflix director of content operations Tracy Wright announced that Netflix had added support for audio description, and had begun to work with its partners to add descriptions to its other original series over time.

Stranger Things received 19 nominations at the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards, while The Crown received 13 nominations. However, streaming shows only got 24 nominations out of a total of 139, falling significantly behind cable. On January 16, 2014, Netflix became the first streaming service to earn an Academy Award nomination when The Square was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. On December 12, 2013, the network earned six nominations for Golden Globe Awards, including four for House of Cards. With its win for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, “Chapter 1” became the first episode from a streaming service to be awarded an Emmy.

On April 28, the company launched its inaugural Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, featuring more than 250 shows over 12 nights at 30-plus locations across Los Angeles, including the first-ever stand-up show at Dodger Stadium. It would provide a one-time grant of $250,000 to female producers and directors in the Arab world through the company’s Fund for Creative Equity. In March 2022, Netflix announced a partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to produce five new series and specials based on Seuss properties following the success of Green Eggs and Ham.

In September 2020, Netflix signed a multi-million dollar deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The company oversaw several renovations at the theater, including new seats and a concession stand. Also in November 2019, Netflix announced it had signed a long-term lease to save the Paris Theatre, the last single-screen movie theater in Manhattan. In July 2019, Netflix announced it would be opening a hub at Shepperton Studios as part of a deal with Pinewood Group. On January 22, 2019, Netflix sought and was approved for membership into the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), making it the first streaming service to join the association. In July 2018, Netflix earned the most Emmy nominations of any network for the first time with 112 nods.