212.2 - The Birth of Netflix and the Fall of Blockbuster

212.2 - The Birth of Netflix and the Fall of Blockbuster

From American English Podcast by Shana Thompson

May 14, 2026 · 28 min · Season 5 · Episode 212

About this episode

This episode explores the transformation of the movie industry from Blockbuster to Netflix, highlighting cultural and technological changes in entertainment.

In this episode, I’m taking you back to the 1990s and sharing what family movie nights were like growing up in suburban California. From browsing the aisles at Blockbuster with my family to ordering DVDs through Netflix for the very first time, we’ll explore how entertainment changed almost overnight and how Netflix completely transformed the movie industry. Along the way, you’ll learn lots of natural American English related to: - Movie nights and entertainment - Film and television vocabulary - Business and technology - Internet culture and innovation - Common expressions and idioms You’ll also hear expressions and vocabulary like: - My jam - On the same page - Come to an agreement - Think outside the box - Jump on the bandwagon - Binge-watch - Late fees - Browse - Streaming - Subscription By the end of this episode, you’ll not only understand the story behind Netflix and Blockbuster, but you’ll also have new vocabulary and expressions to talk naturally about movies, technology, and change in everyday English conversations. This episode follows the Fluency Loop approach. It helps you hear, understand, and start using English naturally through stories, culture, and real-life…

People in this episode

Host: Shana Thompson

Topics covered

  • entertainment
  • movie industry
  • technology
  • American English
  • cultural change

Keywords

  • movie nights
  • film vocabulary
  • binge-watch
  • streaming
  • subscription

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix, Blockbuster

Places: California

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