Call for Chapters: A Netflix Reader: Critical Essays on Streaming Media,
Digital Delivery, and Instant Access, an edited collection on the cultural
impact of Netflix; currently under contract with McFarland

Editors: Myc Wiatrowski and Cory Barker, Indiana University

When Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph launched Netflix in 1997, they could
not have predicted that their company would eventually be the catalyst for
a number of shifts in media production, distribution, and consumption. What
began as a way to subvert egregious late fees charged by video store chains
like Blockbuster has grown into a digital distribution behemoth. Netflix
and its approximately 31 million subscribers are now responsible for more
than a third of all downstream Internet traffic in North America. Netflix’s
practices have directly affected distribution models for film and
television, changing not only what we watch, but also how and when we watch
it. The popularity and ubiquity of its service has had a dramatic impact on
technological developments, necessitating new, Netflix-ready devices and
platforms. Recently, Netflix has been at the center of public policy
debates, particularly those regarding net neutrality. Yet, despite these
very real and noticeable impressions on American culture, very little has
been written about Netflix in critical and academic circles. This
collection of essays seeks to rectify this academic blind spot and examine
Netflix from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:

• Netflix’s impact on the broadcast television paradigm
• The role of Netflix in debates on net neutrality
• How Netflix has altered or highlights patterns of media consumption in
individuals and groups (including binge watching)
• Netflix’s influence on technological developments
• How Netflix’s success has created market competition (Amazon Prime,
Hulu+, etc.)
• Explorations of Netflix’s business failures (e.g. Qwickster)
• Explorations of Netflix’s expansion into international markets
• Analyses of Netflix original programming
• Fan responses to Netflix programming and/or campaigns to relaunch failed
network programs

The deadline for proposals of 500 words is *August 29, 2014*. Please email
your abstract and a short biography or CV as Word docs to
[log in to unmask] The subject line should contain the writ-er’s
surname followed by “Netflix Abstract” (e.g. Wiatrowski Netflix Abstract).

For selected abstracts, full essays of 6,000-9,000 words (inclusive of
citations and endnotes) will be due December 19, 2014.



Cory Barker
Graduate Student
Department of Communication and Culture
Indiana University
twitter.com/corybarker
(765) 499-0080
[log in to unmask]

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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org