Netflix surpasses Disney as world's most valuable media company

Netflix's share price has surged by 33,000 percent since the company went public in 2002. On Thursday, another boost saw its shares hit $153 billion and overtake rival Disney.

Streaming giant Netflix temporarily became the world's most valuable media company on Thursday after its stock market value topped rival Disney.

The combined value of Netflix shares hit a record $153 billion (€131 billion) after rising 2.3 percent to $352.90 per share, according to Thomson Reuters data. Disney's market value was $152 billion.

Over the past year, Netflix's stock has increased 80 percent — more than any other company in the S&P 500 — while Disney's shares are down 5 percent.

The divergent fortunes of the world's two biggest media companies have come amid major changes in the entertainment industry as consumers opt more and more for online streaming services over traditional ways of watching films and television.

Netflix currently has 125 million paying subscribers for its streaming service and has created an assembly line of original programming. Since going public in 2002, its share price has increased 33,000 percent.

Disney, which owns Marvel, Pixar Animation and "Star Wars," has announced it will start its own streaming service and stop allowing Netflix to broadcast its own movies starting next year.

Disney is trying to expand by buying $52 billion worth of assets from Twenty-First Century Fox. But it faces the prospect of a bidding war with rival Comcast, which confirmed on Wednesday it was preparing a rival bid for the assets.

Meanwhile, AT&T and Time Warner are waiting for approval to merge to create a company with a combined market value of $274 billion.

'Dark' and other German TV series to watch worldwide

Netflix German series 'Dark'

The first German language TV series produced by Netflix for the international market, "Dark" was released on December 1, 2017. The first season consists of 10 episodes and tells the story of four families living in a small German town. The disappearance of two young children in surrounding forest leads to investigations revealing that something shady has been happening there since the 1980s.
'Dark' and other German TV series to watch worldwide

Dark worlds

The series was directed by Baran bo Odar and his wife, Jantje Friese, wrote the screenplay. The Swiss director filmed a similar story with the 2010 feature film, "The Silence," another thriller that interconnects two generations of a family in a small provincial German town. As the title suggests, his latest offering is a lot darker and claustrophobic.
'Dark' and other German TV series to watch worldwide

Ambitious production: 'Babylon Berlin'

The most expensive non-English drama series ever produced, "Babylon Berlin" started airing in Germany last October. Netflix purchased broadcast rights for the US. Three directors, including Tom Tykwer, recreated the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1920s for this period drama.
'Dark' and other German TV series to watch worldwide

Amazon's German series 'You Are Wanted'

The first German series to be produced by Amazon, "You Are Wanted" started airing in March 2017 and was also made available worldwide through the Amazon Prime streaming service. It was directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, who also plays the lead role in this series dealing with cyber crime. Despite dividing the critics, the show's second season is already in production.
'Dark' and other German TV series to watch worldwide

A sequel for 'Deutschland 83'

Broadcast on SundanceTV, "Deutschland 83" was the first German-language series to air on a US network with English subtitles. The show obtained a number of accolades, including an International Emmy Award. The second season of this Cold War spy thriller, titled "Deutschland 86," has just been released on Amazon Prime.
'Dark' and other German TV series to watch worldwide

Berlin mafia: '4 Blocks'

"4 Blocks," directed by Marvin Kren, is set in the Berlin district of Neukölln and is centered on different organized crime family clans. The series obtained rave reviews, with some critics comparing it to the US TV hit "The Sopranos." Since October 2017, it is available in over 150 countries on Amazon Video. A second season is in the making.

Author: Jochen Kürten (eg)