With a variety of options from dramatic television shows such as “13 Reasons Why” to romance movies like “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” Netflix has taken the entertainment industry by storm. The streaming service is now the tenth largest internet company by revenue, and according to Statista, it had over 137 million subscribers in the third quarter of 2018.

One of the 137 million subscribers is SHS social studies teacher Nicole Duncan, who, as she says, spends a significant amount of time binge watching shows on Netflix.

“I love Netflix,” Duncan said. “I think it’s awesome and that it has gotten a little bit better over the years because they didn’t use to have as many options as they do now.”

In 2013, Netflix began to further  increase the options of shows it had by releasing its first Netflix Original. That show was “House of Cards.” Since then, Netflix has released 955 Netflix Originals, and will continue to do so. One of the most popular originals being the 2016 drama, “Stranger Things,” along with its second season “Stranger Things 2,”whose first episode was watched by almost 16 million people.

Recently, Netflix released the original movie “Bird Box” in December of 2018, which according to an article from Quartz, 45 million people watched in its first two weeks.  According to Netflix, the film had the best first week ever in regards to a homegrown movie. The original film is still growing, as it is projected to be viewed by 80 million subscribers in just its first four weeks on the media platform.

According to Duncan, she loves the Netflix Originals and believes that the content Netflix produces through their originals allows it to be more exclusive and is indeed, very original.

Duncan also says that she believes the success Netflix has seen since releasing their originals is primarily based on the variety that it offered in their options now and how it appeals to larger groups of people.

“It used to just be a few shows that were hit or miss, but I think they are appealing to more demographics and it’s making it to where a lot more people are wanting to access (Netflix),” Duncan said.

Aside from gaining publicity through its originals, Netflix has also gained more subscribers due to the rising costs of cable television in comparison. According Business Insider, an analysis found that an average pay-TV package costs over three times as much, per house of viewing, as Netflix does.

According to SHS English teacher, Brian Auger, he believes that Netflix offers more than what typical cable does and that is one of the main things that helps fuel their popularity.

“I think they’re popular because there are so many different choices. With cable TV and U-Verse, you’re more locked in, Netflix has got your options,” Auger said in an email interview.

When it comes to traditional television service packages, the cost per-hour has risen from 35 cents to 42 cents, while the cost of Netflix still remains about the same at 10 cents.

According to CNN, as of Jan. 15, all three of Netflix’s subscription plans will increase in price from $1 to $2. The standard $11 plan, for example, will increase to $13 per month.

Duncan and Auger both say that while the price increase of their Netflix subscription plans is upsetting, they are still both willing to pay for it due to the fact that the price of Netflix beats the price of cable television services.

“I’m very upset about it, but I’m always going to be willing to pay for it,” Duncan said. “I think (Netflix) is a good service and it’s still going to be cheaper than cable.”