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Chapter 47 - Netflix Rise and Marriage

March 1, 1988

Thanks Utkarsh and M_D_G for your support.

Raj leaned back in his chair in the Mumbai office, a stack of international reports spread across his desk. The top file, marked confidential and flown in from London just hours earlier, carried the latest subscriber numbers for the fledgling company registered under Pragaati Venture Europe: Netflix.

He has successfully established Netflix atleast 10 year ago.

In four short months—from November 1987 to March 1988—the service had grown from zero to 18,000 paying subscribers across the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Rental revenues had crossed £120,000 in February alone, with projections showing break-even by mid-1989 and clear profitability within the promised five-year window. The System had been right: Europe was ready for this model a full decade before the original timeline.

Raj allowed himself a quiet smile as he addressed the reports almost like old friends.

Last year back in November, immediately after handing Suraj the draft of Netflix, he had instructed him to register a private limited company in London under the name Netflix Ltd., fully owned by Pragaati Ventures. Suraj, working through trusted intermediaries, secured office space in a modest London suburb and hired a small team of eight—mostly young British graduates eager for something new.

The first challenge was inventory. Instead of waiting for DVDs (still years away), they launched with VHS tapes—the dominant format in Europe. Raj used the System to identify the top 500 most-rented titles in the UK and Netherlands for 1987–88. Pragaati quietly purchased 25,000 VHS cassettes through multiple distributors to avoid attention, focusing on new releases and evergreen classics.

Membership launched on January 15, 1988, with a simple proposition: unlimited rentals by post for a flat monthly fee of £9.99—cheaper than renting four tapes from high-street shops. No late fees, no due dates. Subscribers mailed back tapes in pre-paid envelopes and received the next titles from their queue.

Marketing was lean but targeted. Small advertisements in The Guardian, The Times, and regional newspapers emphasized convenience for busy families. A direct-mail campaign sent 100,000 brochures to middle-class households in London, Manchester, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam—addresses purchased legally from mailing lists. Word-of-mouth did the rest.

By the end of January, 4,200 members had signed up. February brought 9,000 more as early subscribers raved about the service to friends. March was on track to add another 5,000.

The operation remained deliberately low-profile—no press interviews, no grand launches. Raj wanted steady, organic growth without drawing attention from established players like Blockbuster, who were still focused on physical stores.

Warehouse operations in a converted facility outside London ran smoothly: tapes cleaned, checked, and dispatched within 24 hours. A basic computer system tracked queues and inventory—nothing sophisticated, but reliable.

Raj closed the report folder. Four months in, Netflix was not just surviving—it was thriving ahead of schedule. The European beachhead was secure, and the path to dominance had begun.

In future the huge media gaint who has tons of media content library will be his.

In last life the Netflix also promoted LGBTQ+ like bullshit propaganda but this time nothing like that will happen again.

After finishing all his work Raj decided to go now to house.

Half an hour later he reached the home.

Jyoti was writing her new book. After Bahubali 1 success Bahubali 2 become a huge success also.

Raj come to Jyoti who was writing in the book and hugged her from behind and asked where was Priya.

Jyoti said " Dad called her to home and now she gone today and she told me that this time she was going to tell dad about your and her affair and then convinced dad about the marriage "

Raj shocked by this but thought he should marry now.

Then Raj picked Jyoti in his hand and come to bedroom.

Then sound of love coming from the room.

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