Binge Times: Inside Hollywood’s Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix

Deadline editor Hayes (Open Wide) and Reuters writer Chmielewski chronicle the rise of Netflix and the influx of streaming services in this smart, comprehensive take on how “a single monolithic company unsettled... Hollywood.” The authors recount how Netflix was the brainchild of Reed Hastings, who saw a flaw in video rental chain Blockbuster’s model and wondered, “What if there were no late fees?” Beginning in 1998 as a mail-order DVD rental business, the company transitioned to streaming in 2007 and picked up the rights to Disney and Sony movies. Then came original content in 2013 with the release of House of Cards, and the 2019 release of Oscar contender The Irishman, both of which further shook up the entertainment industry. The authors spend plenty of time on the “forces of Hollywood” that “allied against Netflix, seeking to knock it off its streaming throne” with competing services, including Disney’s launch of Disney+ in 2019 and cable channel HBO’s addition of streaming service HBO Max in 2020. Things get bogged down a bit with the long-winded and fawning appreciation of Netflix, but the copious research and astute analysis are worth the price of admission. This fascinating study will enthrall those interested in the business side of entertainment. (Apr.)