Netflix (NFLX) 10-K 3 Feb 14 2013 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_And_Entity_Informatio

Document And Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Jan. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'NETFLIX INC	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001065280	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'	'
Document Type	'10-K	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-13	'	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2013	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'FY	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	59,807,236	'
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'Yes	'	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'	'
Entity Public Float	'	'	$10,368,444,430

Consolidated_Statements_of_Ope

Consolidated Statements of Operations (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Statement [Abstract]	'	'	'
Revenues	$4,374,562	$3,609,282	$3,204,577
Cost of revenues	3,083,256	2,625,866	2,039,901
Marketing	503,889	465,400	381,269
Technology and development	378,769	329,008	259,033
General and administrative	180,301	139,016	148,306
Operating income	228,347	49,992	376,068
Other income (expense):	'	'	'
Interest expense	-29,142	-19,986	-20,025
Interest and other income (expense)	-3,002	474	3,479
Loss on extinguishment of debt	-25,129	0	0
Income before income taxes	171,074	30,480	359,522
Provision for income taxes	58,671	13,328	133,396
Net income	$112,403	$17,152	$226,126
Earnings per share:	'	'	'
Basic (in dollars per share)	$1.93	$0.31	$4.28
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$1.85	$0.29	$4.16
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:	'	'	'
Basic (in shares)	58,198	55,521	52,847
Diluted (in shares)	60,761	58,904	54,369

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'	'
Net income	$112,403	$17,152	$226,126
Other comprehensive income (loss):	'	'	'
Foreign currency translation adjustments	1,772	1,357	24
Change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax of $(697), $538, and $(43), respectively	-1,116	856	-68
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	656	2,213	-44
Comprehensive income	$113,059	$19,365	$226,082

Consolidated_Statement_of_Comp

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'	'
Change in unrealized gains on available for sale securities, tax	($697)	$538	($43)

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'	'
Net income	$112,403	$17,152	$226,126
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'	'
Additions to streaming content library	-3,049,758	-2,515,506	-2,320,732
Change in streaming content liabilities	673,785	762,089	1,463,955
Amortization of streaming content library	2,121,981	1,591,218	699,128
Amortization of DVD content library	71,325	65,396	96,744
Depreciation and amortization of property, equipment and intangibles	48,374	45,469	43,747
Stock-based compensation expense	73,100	73,948	61,582
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	-81,663	-4,543	-45,784
Other non-cash items	5,332	-8,392	-4,050
Loss on extinguishment of debt	25,129	0	0
Deferred taxes	-22,044	-30,071	-18,597
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:	'	'	'
Other current assets	62,234	-5,432	1,436
Accounts payable	18,374	-4,943	23,968
Accrued expenses	1,941	9,806	65,560
Deferred revenue	46,295	20,676	21,613
Other non-current assets and liabilities	-8,977	4,719	3,016
Net cash provided by operating activities	97,831	21,586	317,712
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'	'
Acquisition of DVD content library	-65,927	-48,275	-85,154
Purchases of property and equipment	-54,143	-40,278	-49,682
Other assets	5,939	8,816	3,674
Purchases of short-term investments	-550,264	-477,321	-223,750
Proceeds from sale of short-term investments	347,502	282,953	50,993
Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments	60,925	29,365	38,105
Net cash used in investing activities	-255,968	-244,740	-265,814
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	124,557	4,124	19,614
Proceeds from public offering of common stock, net of issuance costs	0	-464	199,947
Proceeds from issuance of debt, net of issuance costs	490,586	-295	198,060
Repurchases of common stock	0	0	-199,666
Redemption of debt	-219,362	0	0
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	81,663	4,543	45,784
Principal payments of lease financing obligations	-1,180	-2,319	-2,083
Net cash provided by financing activities	476,264	5,589	261,656
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	-3,453	-197	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	314,674	-217,762	313,554
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	290,291	508,053	194,499
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	604,965	290,291	508,053
Supplemental disclosure:	'	'	'
Income taxes paid	7,465	28,853	79,069
Interest paid	$19,114	$19,009	$19,395

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$604,965	$290,291
Short-term investments	595,440	457,787
Current content library, net	1,706,421	1,368,162
Other current assets	151,937	124,551
Total current assets	3,058,763	2,240,791
Non-current content library, net	2,091,071	1,506,008
Property and equipment, net	133,605	131,681
Other non-current assets	129,124	89,410
Total assets	5,412,563	3,967,890
Current liabilities:	'	'
Current content liabilities	1,775,983	1,366,847
Accounts payable	108,435	86,468
Accrued expenses	54,018	53,139
Deferred revenue	215,767	169,472
Total current liabilities	2,154,203	1,675,926
Non-current content liabilities	1,345,590	1,076,622
Long-term debt	500,000	200,000
Long-term debt due to related party	0	200,000
Other non-current liabilities	79,209	70,669
Total liabilities	4,079,002	3,223,217
Commitments and contingencies (Note 6)	'	'
Stockholders’ equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2013 and 2012; no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012	0	0
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 160,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2013 and 2012; 59,607,001 and 55,587,167 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively	60	56
Additional paid-in capital	777,441	301,616
Accumulated other comprehensive income	3,575	2,919
Retained earnings	552,485	440,082
Total stockholders’ equity	1,333,561	744,673
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$5,412,563	$3,967,890

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	160,000,000	160,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	59,607,001	55,587,167
Common stock, shares outstanding	59,607,001	55,587,167

Consolidated_Statements_of_Sto

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2010	$290,164	$53	$51,622	$750	$237,739
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2010	'	52,781,949	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'
Net income	226,126	'	'	'	226,126
Other comprehensive income	-44	'	'	-44	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options (in shares)	659,370	659,370	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options	19,614	0	19,614	'	'
Issuance of common stock, net of costs (in shares)	'	2,857,143	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock, net of costs	199,486	3	199,483	'	'
Repurchases of common stock (in shares)	-900,000	-899,847	'	'	'
Repurchases of common stock	-199,666	-1	-158,730	'	-40,935
Stock-based compensation expense	61,582	'	61,582	'	'
Excess stock option income tax benefits	45,548	'	45,548	'	'
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	642,810	55	219,119	706	422,930
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011	'	55,398,615	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'
Net income	17,152	'	'	'	17,152
Other comprehensive income	2,213	'	'	2,213	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options (in shares)	188,552	188,552	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options	4,124	1	4,123	'	'
Stock-based compensation expense	73,948	'	73,948	'	'
Excess stock option income tax benefits	4,426	'	4,426	'	'
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	744,673	56	301,616	2,919	440,082
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012	'	55,587,167	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'
Net income	112,403	'	'	'	112,403
Other comprehensive income	656	'	'	656	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options (in shares)	1,688,774	1,688,774	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options	124,557	2	124,555	'	'
Note conversion (in shares)	'	2,331,060	'	'	'
Note conversion	198,208	2	198,206	'	'
Stock-based compensation expense	73,100	'	73,100	'	'
Excess stock option income tax benefits	79,964	'	79,964	'	'
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$1,333,561	$60	$777,441	$3,575	$552,485
Ending Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013	'	59,607,001	'	'	'

Organization_and_Summary_of_Si

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
	Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Description of Business
	Netflix, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated on August 29, 1997 and began operations on April 14, 1998. The Company is the world’s leading Internet television network with more than 44 million streaming members in over 40 countries enjoying more than one billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Additionally, in the United States ("U.S."), members can receive DVDs.
	The Company is organized into three operating segments, Domestic streaming, International streaming and Domestic DVD. A substantial majority of the Company’s revenues are generated in the United States, and substantially all of the Company’s long-lived tangible assets are held in the United States. The Company’s revenues are derived from monthly membership fees.
	Basis of Presentation
	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the amortization policy for the streaming content library; the recognition and measurement of income tax assets and liabilities; and the valuation of stock-based compensation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
	Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments
	The Company considers investments in instruments purchased with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. The Company also classifies amounts in transit from payment processors for customer credit card and debit card transactions as cash equivalents.
	The Company classifies short-term investments, which consist of marketable securities with original maturities in excess of 90 days as available-for-sale. Short-term investments are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income” within stockholders’ equity in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The amortization of premiums and discounts on the investments, realized gains and losses, and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary on available-for-sale securities are included in “Interest and other income (expense)” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company uses the specific identification method to determine cost in calculating realized gains and losses upon the sale of short-term investments.
	Short-term investments are reviewed periodically to identify possible other-than-temporary impairment. When evaluating the investments, the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer, the Company’s intent to sell, or whether it would be more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell the investments before the recovery of their amortized cost basis.
	Streaming Content
	The Company licenses rights to stream TV shows, movies and original content to members for unlimited viewing. These licenses are for a fixed fee and specify license windows that generally range from six months to five years. Payment terms may extend over the license window, or may require more up-front payments as is typically the case for original content or content that is licensed in an earlier window through an output arrangement.
	The Company capitalizes the fee per title and records a corresponding liability at the gross amount of liabilities when the license period begins, the cost of the title is known and the title is accepted and available for streaming. The portion available for streaming within one year is recognized as “Current content library” and the remaining portion as “Non-current content library”. The acquisition of streaming content license rights and the changes in related liabilities, are classified within cash used in operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
	The Company amortizes the content library in “Cost of revenues” on a straight line or on an accelerated basis, as appropriate:
	•	For content that does not premiere on the Netflix service (representing the vast majority of content), the Company amortizes on a straight-line basis over the shorter of each title’s contractual window of availability or estimated period of use, beginning with the month of first availability. The amortization period typically ranges from six months to five years.
	•	For content that premieres on the Netflix service, the Company expects more upfront viewing due to the additional merchandising and marketing efforts for this original content available only on Netflix. Hence, the Company amortizes on an accelerated basis over the amortization period, which is the shorter of four years or the license period, beginning with the month of first availability. If a subsequent season is added, the amortization period is extended by a year.
	•	If the cost per title cannot be reasonably estimated, the license fee is not capitalized and costs are expensed on a straight line basis over the license period. This typically occurs when the license agreement does not specify the number of titles, the license fee per title or the windows of availability per title.
	The content library is stated at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value. Streaming content licenses (whether capitalized or not) are reviewed in aggregate at the geographic region level for impairment when an event or change in circumstances indicates a change in the expected usefulness of the content. The level of geographic aggregation is determined based on the streaming content rights which are generally specific to a geographic region inclusive of several countries (such as Latin America). No material write down from unamortized cost to a lower net realizable value was recorded in any of the periods presented.
	DVD Content Library
	The Company acquires DVD content for the purpose of renting such content to its members and earning membership rental revenues, and, as such, the Company considers its direct purchase DVD library to be a productive asset. Accordingly, the Company classifies its DVD library in “Non-current content library, net” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The acquisition of DVD content library, net of changes in related liabilities, is classified within cash used in investing activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows because the DVD content library is considered a productive asset. Other companies in the in-home entertainment video industry classify these cash flows as operating activities. The Company amortizes its direct purchase DVDs on an accelerated basis over their estimated useful lives, which range from one year to two years. The Company also obtains DVD content through revenue sharing agreements with studios and other content providers. Revenue sharing obligations are expensed as incurred based on shipments.
	Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, generally up to 30 years, or the lease term for leasehold improvements, if applicable. Leased buildings are capitalized and included in property and equipment when the Company was involved in the construction funding and did not meet the “sale-leaseback” criteria.
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	Long-lived assets such as DVD content library, property and equipment and intangible assets subject to depreciation and amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of asset groups to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds fair value of the asset group. There were no events or changes in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable in any of the years presented.
	Revenue Recognition
	Revenues are recognized ratably over each monthly membership period. Revenues are presented net of the taxes that are collected from members and remitted to governmental authorities. Deferred revenue consists of membership fees billed to members that have not been recognized and gift memberships that have not been redeemed.
	Marketing
	Marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising expenses and also include payments made to the Company’s affiliates and consumer electronics partners. Advertising expenses include promotional activities such as television and online advertising. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expenses were $437.9 million, $377.2 million and $299.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
	Income Taxes
	The Company records a tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Deferred income taxes are recognized by applying enacted statutory tax rates applicable to future years to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance for any tax benefits for which future realization is uncertain. There was no significant valuation allowance as of December 31, 2013 or 2012.
	The Company did not recognize certain tax benefits from uncertain tax positions within the provision for income taxes. The Company recognizes a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding income taxes.
	Foreign Currency
	The Company translates the assets and liabilities of its non-U.S. dollar functional currency subsidiaries into U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at the end of each period. Revenues and expenses for these subsidiaries are translated using rates that approximate those in effect during the period. Gains and losses from these translations are recognized in cumulative translation adjustment included in "Accumulated other comprehensive income" in stockholders’ equity on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	The Company remeasures monetary assets and liabilities that are not denominated in the functional currency at exchange rates in effect at the end of each period. Gains and losses from these remeasurements are recognized in interest and other income (expense). Foreign currency transactions resulted in losses of $8.4 million and $4.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The gains (losses) from foreign currency transactions were immaterial for the year ended December 31, 2011.
	Earnings Per Share
	Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock and, when dilutive, potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares consist of shares issuable upon the assumed conversion of the Company’s Convertible Notes (prior to the conversion of such notes) and incremental shares issuable upon the assumed exercise of stock options. The computation of earnings per share is as follows:
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands, except per share data)
	Basic earnings per share:
	Net income	$	112,403		$	17,152		$	226,126
	Shares used in computation:
	Weighted-average common shares outstanding	58,198			55,521			52,847
	Basic earnings per share	$	1.93		$	0.31		$	4.28
	Diluted earnings per share:
	Net income	$	112,403		$	17,152		$	226,126
	Convertible Notes interest expense, net of tax	49			195			17
	Numerator for diluted earnings per share	112,452			17,347			226,143
	Shares used in computation:
	Weighted-average common shares outstanding	58,198			55,521			52,847
	Convertible Notes shares	715			2,331			217
	Employee stock options	1,848			1,052			1,305
	Weighted-average number of shares	60,761			58,904			54,369
	Diluted earnings per share	$	1.85		$	0.29		$	4.16
	Employee stock options with exercise prices greater than the average market price of the common stock were excluded from the diluted calculation as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. The following table summarizes the potential common shares excluded from the diluted calculation:
		Year ended December 31,
		2013		2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	Employee stock options	198		1,207			225
	Stock-Based Compensation
	The Company grants stock options to its employees on a monthly basis. The Company has elected to grant all options as fully vested non-qualified stock options. As a result of immediate vesting, stock-based compensation expense is fully recognized on the grant date, and no estimate is required for post-vesting option forfeitures. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding stock-based compensation.
Stock Repurchases
To facilitate a stock repurchase program, shares are repurchased by the Company in the open market and are accounted for when the transaction is settled. Shares held for future issuance are classified as Treasury stock. Shares formally or constructively retired are deducted from common stock for par value and from additional paid-in capital for the excess over par value. If additional paid-in capital has been exhausted, the excess over par value is deducted from Retained earnings. Direct costs incurred to acquire the shares are included in the total cost of the shares.

Reclassifications_and_Changes_

Reclassifications and Changes in Estimates	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Reclassifications and Changes in Estimates	'
	Reclassifications and Changes in Estimates
	Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation in the consolidated financial statements. Payroll and related expenses of $19.3 million and $21.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, associated with corporate marketing personnel, previously classified in "Marketing" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations, have been reclassified as "General and administrative." Historically these costs were substantially recorded in the Domestic streaming segment and impacted segment contribution profit. Management and the Company's chief operating decision maker consider such employee costs to be global corporate costs rather than marketing costs directly attributable to the segment and as such are not indicative of any given segment's performance. Accordingly, such costs have been reclassified as "General and administrative" expenses which are not a component of contribution profit. There was no impact to operating income in any year presented.
	Prepaid content amounts are now included in Other current assets on both the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as they are not material.
	Certain prior year amounts in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows have been revised to correctly present changes in accounts payable related to purchases of fixed assets. For the year ended December 31, 2012, a $1.2 million increase in accounts payable has been reclassified from purchases of property and equipment in "Net cash used in investing activities" to changes in accounts payable in "Net cash provided by operating activities." There was no impact to the Consolidated Statements of Operations or Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	The Company had a change in estimate that is reflected in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013. When the Company started with original content, the Company did not have specific data about viewing patterns over time for content that premieres on Netflix. Based on experience with other similar television series and initial estimates of viewing patterns, the Company amortized this type of content on a straight-line basis over the shorter of four years or the license period. If a subsequent season is added, the remaining amortization period is extended by a year. Current estimates of viewing patterns indicate that viewing in the first few months is significantly higher, relative to the remaining amortization period, than previously estimated. As a result, in the third quarter of 2013, the Company began amortizing this type of content on an accelerated basis over the amortization period. The effect of this change in estimate was an $18.9 million decrease in contribution profit for the Domestic streaming segment and a $6.1 million increase in contribution loss for the International streaming segment for the year ended December 31, 2013. The effect of this change in estimate was a decrease in operating income and net income of $25.0 million and $15.4 million, respectively for the year ended December 31, 2013. The effect to basic earnings per share and diluted earnings per share was a decrease of $0.27 and $0.25, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2013. The effect of this change in estimate relates primarily to titles that first premiered on Netflix in the first and second quarters of 2013.

ShortTerm_Investments

Short-Term Investments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Short-Term Investments And Fair Value Measurement [Abstract]	'
Short-Term Investments	'
		Short-term Investments
	The Company’s investment policy is consistent with the definition of available-for-sale securities. The Company does not buy and hold securities principally for the purpose of selling them in the near future. The Company’s policy is focused on the preservation of capital, liquidity and return. From time to time, the Company may sell certain securities but the objectives are generally not to generate profits on short-term differences in price. The following tables summarize, by major security type, the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy.
		31-Dec-13
		Amortized			Gross		Gross			Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Cash	$	483,959		$	—	$	—		$	483,959
	Level 1 securities:
	Money market funds	126,208			—		—			126,208
	Level 2 securities:
	Corporate debt securities	316,465			1,245		(654		)	317,056
	Government securities	143,812			287		(18		)	144,081
	Asset and mortgage-backed securities	93,118			229		(418		)	92,929
	Certificate of deposits	23,425			—		—			23,425
	Agency securities	17,951			—		(2		)	17,949
	Total (1)	$	1,204,938		$	1,761	$	(1,092	)	$	1,205,607
		31-Dec-12
		Amortized			Gross		Gross			Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Cash	$	284,661		$	—	$	—		$	284,661
	Level 1 securities:
	Money market funds	10,500			—		—			10,500
	Level 2 securities:
	Corporate debt securities	150,322			1,605		(32		)	151,895
	Government securities	166,643			285		—			166,928
	Asset and mortgage-backed securities	138,340			750		(125		)	138,965
	Total (2)	$	750,466		$	2,640	$	(157	)	$	752,949
	-1	Includes $605.0 million that is included in cash and cash equivalents, $595.4 million included in short-term investments and $5.2 million of restricted cash that is included in other non-current assets related to workers compensation deposits.
	-2	Includes $290.3 million included in cash and cash equivalents, $457.8 million included in short-term investments and $4.8 million of restricted cash that is included in other non-current assets related to workers compensation deposits.
	Fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The hierarchy level assigned to each security in the Company’s available-for-sale portfolio and cash equivalents is based on its assessment of the transparency and reliability of the inputs used in the valuation of such instrument at the measurement date. The fair value of available-for-sale securities and cash equivalents included in the Level 1 category is based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market. The fair value of available-for-sale securities included in the Level 2 category is based on observable inputs, such as quoted prices for similar assets at the measurement date; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly. These values were obtained from an independent pricing service and were evaluated using pricing models that vary by asset class and may incorporate available trade, bid and other market information and price quotes from well-established independent pricing vendors and broker-dealers. The Company’s procedures include controls to ensure that appropriate fair values are recorded, such as comparing prices obtained from multiple independent sources. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding the fair value of the Company’s senior convertible notes and senior notes.
	Because the Company does not intend to sell the investments that are in an unrealized loss position and it is not likely that the Company will be required to sell any investments before recovery of their amortized cost basis, the Company does not consider those investments with an unrealized loss to be other-than-temporarily impaired at December 31, 2013. There were no material other-than-temporary impairments or credit losses related to available-for-sale securities in the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 or 2011.
	There were no material gross realized gains or losses from the sale of available-for-sale investments in the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011. Realized gains and losses and interest income are included in interest and other income.
	The estimated fair value of short-term investments by contractual maturity as of December 31, 2013 is as follows:
			(in thousands)
	Due within one year		$	144,267
	Due after one year and through 5 years		408,048
	Due after 5 years and through 10 years		1,703
	Due after 10 years		41,422
	Total short-term investments		$	595,440

Balance_Sheet_Components

Balance Sheet Components	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Balance Sheet Components Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Balance Sheet Components	'
	Balance Sheet Components
	Content Library
	Content library consisted of the following:
		As of December 31,
		2013				2012
		(in thousands)
	Total content library, gross	$	6,474,688			$	5,001,524
	Accumulated amortization	(2,677,196		)		(2,127,354		)
	Total content library, net	3,797,492				2,874,170
	Current content library, net	1,706,421				1,368,162
	Non-current content library, net	$	2,091,071			$	1,506,008
	Property and Equipment, Net
	Property and equipment and accumulated depreciation consisted of the following:
					As of December 31,
					2013				2012
					(in thousands)
	Computer equipment		3 years		$	102,867			$	84,193
	Operations and other equipment		5 years		96,361				100,207
	Software		3 years		36,439				39,073
	Furniture and fixtures		3 years		21,011				18,208
	Building		30 years		40,681				40,681
	Leasehold improvements		Over life of lease		51,194				45,393
	Capital work-in-progress				8,643				8,282
	Property and equipment, gross				357,196				336,037
	Less: Accumulated depreciation				(223,591		)		(204,356		)
	Property and equipment, net				$	133,605			$	131,681

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt	'
	Long-term Debt
	Senior Convertible Notes
	In November 2011, the Company issued $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of zero coupon senior convertible notes due on December 1, 2018 (the “Convertible Notes”) in a private placement offering to TCV VII, L.P., TCV VII(A), L.P., and TCV Member Fund, L.P. A general partner of these funds also serves on the Company’s Board of Directors, and as such, the issuance of the notes is considered a related party transaction. The net proceeds to the Company were approximately $197.8 million. Debt issuance costs of $2.2 million (of which $0.3 million was paid in the year ended December 31, 2012) were recorded in “Other non-current assets” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and were amortized over the term of the notes as interest expense. At any time following May 28, 2012, the Company could have elected to cause the conversion of the Convertible Notes into shares of the Company’s common stock when specified conditions were satisfied, including that the daily volume weighted average price of the Company’s common stock was equal to or greater than $111.54 for at least 50 trading days during a 65 trading day period prior to the conversion date.
	The Company determined that the embedded conversion option in the Convertible Notes did not require separate accounting treatment as a derivative instrument because it was both indexed to the Company's own stock and would be classified in stockholders' equity if freestanding. Additionally, the Convertible Notes did not require or permit any portion of the obligation to be settled in cash and accordingly the liability and equity (conversion option) components were not required to be accounted for separately.
	In April 2013, after all specified conditions were satisfied, the Company elected to cause the conversion of all outstanding Convertible Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $200.0 million in accordance with the terms of the Indenture governing such notes. Pursuant to this conversion, the Company issued 2.3 million shares of common stock to the holders of the Convertible Notes at a conversion ratio of 11.6553. The fair market value of one share of common stock on the date of conversion was $216.99 per share.
	Senior Notes
	In November 2009, the Company issued $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of 8.50% senior notes due November 15, 2017 (the “8.50% Notes”). The net proceeds to the Company were approximately $193.9 million. Debt issuance costs of $6.1 million were recorded in “Other non-current assets” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and were amortized over the term of the notes as interest expense. The notes were issued at par and were senior unsecured obligations of the Company. Interest was payable semi-annually at a rate of 8.50% per annum on May 15 and November 15 of each year, commencing on May 15, 2010. The 8.50% Notes were repayable in whole or in part upon the occurrence of a change of control, at the option of the holders, at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal plus accrued interest. The Company could redeem the 8.50% Notes prior to November 15, 2013 in whole or in part at a redemption price of 100% of the principal plus accrued interest, plus a “make-whole” premium.
	In February 2013, the Company issued $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.375% senior notes due 2021 (the “5.375% Notes”). The 5.375% Notes were issued at par and are senior unsecured obligations of the Company. Interest is payable semi-annually at a rate of 5.375% per annum on February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing on August 1, 2013. The 5.375% Notes are repayable in whole or in part upon the occurrence of a change of control, at the option of the holders, at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal plus accrued interest. The Company may redeem the 5.375% Notes prior to maturity in whole or in part at an amount equal to the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest plus a make-whole payment equivalent to the present value of the remaining interest payments through maturity.
	The 5.375% Notes include, among other terms and conditions, limitations on the Company's ability to create, incur or allow certain liens; enter into sale and lease-back transactions; create, assume, incur or guarantee additional indebtedness of the Company's subsidiaries; and consolidate or merge with, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of the Company's and its subsidiaries assets, to another person. At December 31, 2013 the Company was in compliance with these covenants.
	In the first quarter of 2013, the Company used $224.5 million of the net proceeds of the 5.375% Notes to redeem the outstanding $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of 8.50% Notes and pursuant to the make-whole provision in the Indenture governing the 8.50% Notes, paid a $19.4 million premium and $5.1 million of accrued and unpaid interest. The Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $25.1 million related to redemption of the 8.50% Notes which included the write off of unamortized debt issuance costs of $4.2 million.
	Based on quoted market prices in less active markets (a Level 2 input for this financial instrument), the fair value of the 5.375% Notes as of December 31, 2013 was approximately $506.3 million.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	Commitments and Contingencies
	Streaming Content
	At December 31, 2013, the Company had $7.3 billion of obligations comprised of $1.8 billion included in "Current content liabilities" and $1.3 billion of "Non-current content liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and $4.2 billion of obligations that are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
	At December 31, 2012, the Company had $5.6 billion of obligations comprised of $1.3 billion included in "Current content liabilities" and $1.1 billion of "Non-current content liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and $3.2 billion of obligations that are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
	The expected timing of payments for these streaming content obligations is as follows:
		As of December 31,
		2013		2012
		(in thousands)
	Less than one year	$	2,972,325	$	2,299,562
	Due after one year and through 3 years	3,266,907		2,715,294
	Due after 3 years and through 5 years	929,645		540,346
	Due after 5 years	83,284		78,483
	Total streaming content obligations	$	7,252,161	$	5,633,685
	A streaming content obligation is incurred at the time the Company signs a license agreement to obtain future titles. Once a title becomes available, a content liability is generally recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Certain agreements include the obligation to license rights for unknown future titles, the ultimate quantity and / or fees for which are not yet determinable as of the reporting date. Because the amount is not reasonably estimable, the Company does not include any estimated obligation for these future titles beyond the known minimum amount. However, the unknown obligations are expected to be significant and the expected timing of payments could range from less than one year to more than five years.
	The Company has entered into certain licenses with performing rights organizations ("PROs"), and is currently involved in negotiations with other PROs, that hold certain rights to music and other entertainment works "publicly performed" in connection with streaming content into various territories. Accruals for estimated royalties are recorded and then adjusted based on any changes in estimates. These amounts are included in the streaming content obligations. The results of these negotiations are uncertain and may be materially different from management's estimates.
	Lease obligations
	The Company leases facilities under non-cancelable operating leases with various expiration dates through 2019. Several lease agreements contain rent escalation clauses or rent holidays. For purposes of recognizing minimum rental expenses on a straight-line basis over the terms of the leases, the Company uses the date of initial possession to begin amortization, which is generally when the Company enters the space and begins to make improvements in preparation for intended use. For scheduled rent escalation clauses during the lease terms or for rental payments commencing at a date other than the date of initial occupancy, the Company records minimum rental expenses on a straight-line basis over the terms of the leases in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company has the option to extend or renew most of its leases which may increase the future minimum lease commitments.
	Because the terms of the Company’s original facilities lease agreements for its current Los Gatos, California headquarters site required the Company’s involvement in the construction funding of the buildings, the Company is the “deemed owner” (for accounting purposes only) of these buildings. Accordingly, the Company recorded an asset of $40.7 million, representing the total costs of the buildings and improvements, including the costs paid by the lessor (the legal owner of the buildings), with corresponding liabilities. Upon completion of construction of each building, the Company did not meet the sale-leaseback criteria for de-recognition of the building assets and liabilities. Therefore the leases are accounted for as financing obligations.
	In the first quarter of 2010, the Company extended the facilities leases for the current Los Gatos buildings for an additional five year term after the remaining term of the original lease, thus increasing the future minimum payments under lease financing obligations by approximately $14 million. The leases continue to be accounted for as financing obligations and no gain or loss was recorded as a result of the lease financing modification. At December 31, 2013, the lease financing obligation balance was $30.6 million, of which $1.1 million and $29.5 million were recorded in “Accrued expenses” and “Other non-current liabilities,” respectively, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The remaining future minimum payments under the lease financing obligation are $12.1 million. The lease financing obligation balance at the end of the extended lease term will be approximately $25.8 million which approximates the net book value of the buildings to be relinquished to the lessor.
	In the third quarter of 2013, the Company entered into facilities lease agreements to expand its Los Gatos headquarters. At the time the Company entered into these lease agreements, the prior agreement signed in the fourth quarter of 2012 was simultaneously terminated. The 124 month lease term for each of the new leases will commence after the construction of the buildings is complete. Future minimum lease payments associated with these leases are $121.2 million as of December 31, 2013 and are included below.
	Future minimum payments under lease financing obligations and non-cancelable operating leases as of December 31, 2013 are as follows:
	Year Ending December 31,	Future
		Minimum
		Payments
		(in thousands)
	2014	$	25,101
	2015	26,637
	2016	26,073
	2017	21,846
	2018	15,586
	Thereafter	86,179
	Total minimum payments	$	201,422
	Rent expense associated with the operating leases was $27.9 million, $29.7 million and $16.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
	Legal Proceedings
	From time to time, in the normal course of its operations, the Company is a party to litigation matters and claims, including claims relating to employee relations, business practices and patent infringement. Litigation can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict and the Company's view of these matters may change in the future as the litigation and events related thereto unfold. The Company expenses legal fees as incurred. The Company records a provision for contingent losses when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. An unfavorable outcome to any legal matter, if material, could have an adverse effect on the Company's operations or its financial position, liquidity or results of operations.
	On January 13, 2012, the first of three purported shareholder class action lawsuits was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against the Company and certain of its officers and directors. Two additional purported shareholder class action lawsuits were filed in the same court on January 27, 2012 and February 29, 2012 alleging substantially similar claims.  These lawsuits were consolidated into In re Netflix, Inc., Securities Litigation, Case No. 3:12-cv-00225-SC, and the Court selected lead plaintiffs. On June 26, 2012, lead plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint which alleged violations of the federal securities laws. The Court dismissed the consolidated complaint with leave to amend on February 13, 2013. Lead plaintiffs filed a first amended consolidated complaint on March 22, 2013. The Court dismissed the first amended consolidated complaint with prejudice on August 20, 2013, and judgment was entered on September 27, 2013. Lead plaintiffs filed a motion to alter or amend the judgment and requested leave to file a second amended complaint on October 25, 2013. On January 17, 2014, the Court denied that motion.
	On November 23, 2011, the first of six purported shareholder derivative suits was filed in the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County, against the Company and certain of its officers and directors. Five additional purported shareholder derivative suits were subsequently filed: two in the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County on February 9, 2012 and May 2, 2012; and three in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on February 13, 2012, February 24, 2012 and April 2, 2012. The purported shareholder derivative suits filed in the Northern District of California have been voluntarily dismissed. On July 5, 2012, the purported shareholder derivative suits filed in Santa Clara County were consolidated into In re Netflix, Inc. Shareholder Derivative Litigation, Case No. 1-12-cv-218399, and lead counsel was appointed. A consolidated complaint was filed on December 4, 2012, with plaintiffs seeking compensatory damages and other relief. The consolidated complaint alleges, among other things, that certain of the Company's current and former officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties, issued false and misleading statements primarily regarding the Company's streaming business, violated accounting rules concerning segment reporting, violated provisions of the California Corporations Code, and wasted corporate assets. The consolidated complaint further alleges that the defendants caused the Company to buy back stock at artificially inflated prices to the detriment of the Company and its shareholders while contemporaneously selling personally held Company stock. The Company filed a demurrer to the consolidated complaint and a motion to stay the derivative litigation in favor of the related federal securities class action on February 4, 2013. On June 21, 2013, the Court granted the motion to stay the derivative litigation pending resolution of the related federal securities class action. Management has determined a potential loss is reasonably possible however, based on its current knowledge, management does not believe that the amount of such possible loss or a range of potential loss is reasonably estimable.
	The Company is involved in other litigation matters not listed above but does not consider the matters to be material either individually or in the aggregate at this time. The Company's view of the matters not listed may change in the future as the litigation and events related thereto unfold.

GuaranteesIndemnification_Obli

Guarantees-Indemnification Obligations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Guarantees [Abstract]	'
Guarantees-Indemnification Obligations	'
	Guarantees—Indemnification Obligations
	In the ordinary course of business, the Company has entered into contractual arrangements under which it has agreed to provide indemnification of varying scope and terms to business partners and other parties with respect to certain matters, including, but not limited to, losses arising out of the Company’s breach of such agreements and out of intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In these circumstances, payment may be conditional on the other party making a claim pursuant to the procedures specified in the particular contract.
	The Company’s obligations under these agreements may be limited in terms of time or amount, and in some instances, the Company may have recourse against third parties for certain payments. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and certain of its officers that will require it, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers. The terms of such obligations vary.
	It is not possible to make a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments under these or similar agreements due to the conditional nature of the Company’s obligations and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement. No amount has been accrued in the accompanying financial statements with respect to these indemnification guarantees.

Stockholders_Equity

Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Stockholders' Equity and Stock-based Compensation Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity	'
	Stockholders’ Equity
	On November 2, 2012, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company authorized and declared a dividend distribution of one right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Shares”), of the Company to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 12, 2012 (the “Record Date”). Each Right entitled the registered holder to purchase from the Company one one-thousandth of a share of Series A Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Preferred Shares”), of the Company at an exercise price of $350 per one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, subject to adjustment (the “Exercise Price”). The Rights were exercisable in the event any person or group acquires 10% (or 20% in the case of certain institutional investors who report their holdings on Schedule 13G) or more of the Common Shares without the approval of the Board, and until such time are inseparable from and trade with the Company's common stock. The Rights had a de minimus fair value. The Rights Agreement was amended on December 30, 2013 to accelerate the expiration of the Rights from the close of business on November 2, 2015 to the close of business on December 30, 2013, and had the effect of terminating the Rights Agreement on that date. At the time of the termination of the Rights Agreement, all of the Rights distributed to holders of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the Rights Agreement expired.
	On November 28, 2011, the Company issued 2.9 million shares of common stock upon the closing of a public offering for $200.0 million net of issuance costs of $0.5 million.
	In April 2013, the Company issued 2.3 million shares of common stock in connection with the conversion of the Convertible Notes. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for further details.
	Preferred Stock
	In 2012, the Company designated 1,000,000 shares of its preferred stock with par value of $0.001 per share as Series A Participating Preferred Stock. The remaining 9,000,000 shares of preferred stock with par value of $0.001 remained undesignated. In connection with the expiration of the Rights and the termination of the Rights Agreement on December 30, 2013, the shares that were designated to such series were returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock of the Company, and the Company therefore now has 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.001 that are undesignated.
	None of the preferred shares were issued and outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012.
	Voting Rights
	The holders of each share of common stock shall be entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the Company’s stockholders.
	Stock Option Plans
	In June 2011, the Company adopted the 2011 Stock Plan. The 2011 Stock Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options to employees and for the grant of non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units to employees, directors and consultants. As of December 31, 2013, 3.4 million shares were reserved for future grants under the 2011 Stock Plan.
	In February 2002, the Company adopted the 2002 Stock Plan, which was amended and restated in May 2006. The 2002 Stock Plan provided for the grant of incentive stock options to employees and for the grant of non-statutory stock options and stock purchase rights to employees, directors and consultants. In the first quarter of 2012, 1.2 million shares reserved for future grants under the 2002 Stock Plan expired.
	A summary of the activities related to the Company’s stock option plans is as follows:
		Shares Available			Options Outstanding						Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (in Years)	Aggregate
		for Grant										Intrinsic Value
					Number of			Weighted- Average Exercise Price				(in Thousands)
					Shares
	Balances as of December 31, 2010	2,038,502			2,892,130			36.11
	Authorized	5,700,000			—			—
	Granted	(724,994	)		724,994			154.09
	Exercised	—			(659,370	)		29.11
	Balances as of December 31, 2011	7,013,508			2,957,754			66.59
	Granted	(1,803,798	)		1,803,798			73.94
	Exercised	—			(188,552	)		21.85
	Canceled	48			(48	)		35.95
	Expired	(1,160,721	)		—
	Balances as of December 31, 2012	4,049,037			4,572,952			71.33
	Granted	(642,720	)		642,720			208.94
	Exercised	—			(1,688,774	)		73.75
	Balances as of December 31, 2013	3,406,317			3,526,898
	Vested and exercisable at				3,526,898			95.25			6.16	$	962,570
	December 31, 2013
	The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company’s closing stock price on the last trading day of 2013 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on December 31, 2013. This amount changes based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock. Total intrinsic value of options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $274.2 million, $14.7 million and $128.1 million, respectively.
	Cash received from option exercises for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $124.6 million, $4.1 million and $19.6 million, respectively.
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan
	In February 2002, the Company adopted the 2002 ESPP under which employees purchased common stock of the Company through accumulated payroll deductions. The purchase price of the common stock acquired by the employees participating in the ESPP is 85% of the closing price on either the first day of the offering period or the last day of the purchase period, whichever was lower. Under the ESPP, the offering and purchase periods took place concurrently in consecutive six month increments. Therefore, the look-back for determining the purchase price was six months. Employees could invest up to 15% of their gross compensation through payroll deductions. In no event was an employee permitted to purchase more than 8,334 shares of common stock during any six-month purchase period.
	As of December 31, 2013, there were 2,785,721 shares available for future issuance under the 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The Company’s ESPP was suspended in 2011 and there were no offerings subsequent to 2011.
	Stock-Based Compensation
	Vested stock options granted before June 30, 2004 can be exercised up to three months following termination of employment. Vested stock options granted after June 30, 2004 and before January 1, 2007 can be exercised up to one year following termination of employment. Vested stock options granted after January 2007 will remain exercisable for the full ten year contractual term regardless of employment status. The following table summarizes the assumptions used to value option grants using the lattice-binomial model:
			Year Ended December 31,
			2013			2012			2011
	Dividend yield		—	%		—	%		—	%
	Expected volatility		51% - 54%			55% - 65%			51% – 65%
	Risk-free interest rate		1.87% - 2.71%			1.61% - 2.01%			2.05% – 3.42%
	Suboptimal exercise factor		2.33 - 3.92			2.26 - 3.65			2.17 – 3.64
	The Company bifurcates its option grants into two employee groupings (executive and non-executive) based on exercise behavior and considers several factors in determining the estimate of expected term for each group, including the historical option exercise behavior, the terms and vesting periods of the options granted.
	The Company estimates expected volatility based on a blend of historical volatility of the Company’s common stock and implied volatility of tradable forward call options to purchase shares of its common stock. The Company believes that implied volatility of publicly traded options in its common stock is expected to be more reflective of market conditions and, therefore, can reasonably be expected to be a better indicator of expected volatility than historical volatility of its common stock. The Company includes historical volatility in its computation due to low trade volume of its tradable forward call options in certain periods, thereby precluding sole reliance on implied volatility.
	In valuing shares issued under the Company’s employee stock option plans, the Company bases the risk-free interest rate on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with terms similar to the contractual term of the options. The Company does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future and therefore uses an expected dividend yield of zero in the option valuation model. The Company does not use a post-vesting termination rate as options are fully vested upon grant date. The weighted-average fair value of employee stock options granted during 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $113.74, $41.00 and $84.94 per share, respectively.
	Stock-based compensation expense related to stock option plans was $73.1 million, $73.9 million and $61.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The total income tax benefit recognized in the income statement related to stock option plans was $28.1 million, $28.5 million and $22.8 million for 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
	Stock Repurchase Program
	The following table presents a summary of the Company’s stock repurchases for the year ended December 31, 2011 (in thousands, except per share data):
	Total number of shares repurchased	900
	Dollar amount of shares repurchased	$	199,666
	Average price paid per share	$	221.88
	Range of price paid per share	$160.11 – $248.78
	Under the stock repurchase plan announced on June 11, 2010, the Company was authorized to repurchase up to $300 million of its common stock through the end of 2012. As of December 31, 2012, the Company has repurchased $259.0 million of its common stock under this plan. As of December 31, 2012, the plan has expired and the remaining $41.0 million was unused.

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity [Abstract]	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'
	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
	The following table summarizes the changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
		Foreign currency		Change in unrealized gains on available for sale securities			Total
		(in thousands)
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	24	$	682		$	706
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	1,357		1,275			2,632
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	—		(419		)	(419		)
	Net increase in other comprehensive income	1,357		856			2,213
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	1,381	$	1,538		$	2,919
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	1,772		(1,597		)	175
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	—		481			481
	Net increase (decrease) in other comprehensive income	1,772		(1,116		)	656
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	3,153	$	422		$	3,575
	All amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income were related to gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities. These reclassifications impacted "Interest and other income (expense)" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	Income before provision for income taxes was as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	United States	$	159,126		$	27,885		$	359,786
	Foreign	11,948			2,595			(264		)
	Income before income taxes	$	171,074		$	30,480		$	359,522
	The components of provision for income taxes for all periods presented were as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	Current tax provision:
	Federal	$	58,558		$	34,387		$	123,406
	State	15,154			7,850			28,657
	Foreign	7,003			1,162			(70		)
	Total current	80,715			43,399			151,993
	Deferred tax provision:
	Federal	(18,930		)	(26,903		)	(14,008		)
	State	(2,751		)	(3,168		)	(4,589		)
	Foreign	(363		)	—			—
	Total deferred	(22,044		)	(30,071		)	(18,597		)
	Provision for income taxes	$	58,671		$	13,328		$	133,396
	U.S. income taxes and foreign withholding taxes associated with the repatriation of earnings of foreign subsidiaries were not provided for on a cumulative total of $9.5 million of undistributed earnings for certain foreign subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013. The Company intends to reinvest these earnings indefinitely in its foreign subsidiaries. If these earnings were distributed to the United States in the form of dividends or otherwise, the Company would be subject to additional U.S. income taxes net of available foreign tax credits associated with these earnings. The amount of unrecognized deferred income tax liability related to these earnings is approximately $3.3 million.
	Income tax benefits attributable to the exercise of employee stock options of $80.0 million, $4.4 million and $45.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, were recorded directly to additional paid-in-capital.
	A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes, with the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to income before income taxes is as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	Expected tax expense at U.S. federal statutory rate of 35%	$	59,878		$	10,667		$	125,833
	State income taxes, net of Federal income tax effect	8,053			2,914			15,042
	R&D tax credit	(13,841		)	(1,803		)	(8,365		)
	Other	4,581			1,550			886
	Provision for income taxes	$	58,671		$	13,328		$	133,396
	The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:
		As of December 31,
		2013			2012
		(in thousands)
	Deferred tax assets (liabilities):
	Stock-based compensation	$	69,201		$	66,827
	Accruals and reserves	13,022			11,155
	Depreciation and amortization	(11,159		)	(18,356		)
	R&D credits	19,196			8,480
	Other	824			(244		)
	Total deferred tax assets	91,084			67,862
	Valuation allowance	(481		)	—
	Net deferred tax assets	$	90,603		$	67,862
	Deferred tax assets include $21.5 million and $11.0 million classified as “Other current assets” and $69.1 million and $56.9 million classified as “Other non-current assets” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. In evaluating its ability to realize the net deferred tax assets, the Company considered all available positive and negative evidence, including its past operating results and the forecast of future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, it was considered more likely than not that substantially all deferred tax assets would be realized, and no significant valuation allowance was recorded.
	As of December 31, 2013, our federal R&D tax credit and state tax credit carryforwards for tax return purposes were $16.3 million and $29.7 million, respectively. The federal R&D tax credit carryforwards expire in 2033. State tax credit carryforwards of $0.9 million expire in 2023 and the remaining tax credit carryforwards of $28.8 million can be carried forward indefinitely.
	On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (H.R. 8) was signed into law which retroactively extends the Federal research and development credit from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013. As a result, the Company recognized the retroactive benefit of the Federal research and development credit of approximately $3.1 million as a discrete item in the first quarter of 2013, the period in which the legislation was enacted.
	The Company classifies unrecognized tax benefits that are not expected to result in payment or receipt of cash within one year as “Other non-current liabilities” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of December 31, 2013, the total amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits was $68.2 million, of which $57.0 million, if recognized, would favorably impact the Company’s effective tax rate. The aggregate changes in the Company’s total gross amount of unrecognized tax benefits are summarized as follows (in thousands):
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	28,133
	Increases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	8,487
	Decreases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	(320		)
	Increases related to tax positions taken during the current period	7,037
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	43,337
	Increases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	4
	Decreases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	(25		)
	Increases related to tax positions taken during the current period	24,915
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	68,231
	The Company includes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the provision for income taxes. As of December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the total amount of gross interest and penalties accrued was $3.9 million and $3.1 million, respectively, which is classified as “Other non-current liabilities” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Interest and penalties included in our provision for income taxes were not material in all the periods presented.
	The Company files U.S. federal, state and foreign tax returns. The Company is currently under examination by the IRS for the years 2008 through 2011. The IRS has completed its Field Exam of the 2008 and 2009 federal tax returns and has issued a Revenue Agents Report with a proposed assessment primarily related to our R&D Credits claimed in those years. We have filed a protest against the proposed assessment and are currently awaiting the commencement of the IRS Appeals process. The IRS Field Exam of the 2010 and 2011 federal tax returns is still underway. The year 2012 remains subject to examination by the IRS.
	The Company is also currently under examination by the state of California for the years 2006 and 2007. California has completed its Field Exam of the 2006 and 2007 California tax returns and has issued a Notice of Proposed Assessment primarily related to our R&D Credits claimed in those years. We have filed a protest against the proposed assessment and are currently awaiting the commencement of the Protest process with the Franchise Tax Board. The years 1997 through 2005, as well as 2008 through 2012, remain subject to examination by the state of California.
The Company is currently not under examination in any foreign jurisdiction. The years 2011 and 2012 remain subject to examination by foreign jurisdictions.
Given the potential outcome of the current examinations as well as the impact of the current examinations on the potential expiration of the statute of limitations, it is reasonably possible that the balance of unrecognized tax benefits could significantly change within the next twelve months. However, at this time, an estimate of the range of reasonably possible adjustments to the balance of unrecognized tax benefits cannot be made.

Employee_Benefit_Plan

Employee Benefit Plan	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Employee Benefit Plan	'
	Employee Benefit Plan
	The Company maintains a 401(k) savings plan covering substantially all of its employees. Eligible employees may contribute up to 60% of their annual salary through payroll deductions, but not more than the statutory limits set by the Internal Revenue Service. The Company matches employee contributions at the discretion of the Board. During 2013, 2012 and 2011, the Company’s matching contributions totaled $6.5 million, $5.2 million and $4.0 million, respectively.

Segment_Information

Segment Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment Information	'
	Segment Information
	Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company has three operating segments: Domestic streaming, International streaming and Domestic DVD. Segment information is presented along the same lines that the Company’s chief operating decision maker reviews the operating results in assessing performance and allocating resources. The Company’s chief operating decision maker reviews revenue and contribution profit for each of the reportable segments. Contribution profit (loss) is defined as revenues less cost of revenues and marketing expenses directly incurred by the segment.
	The Domestic and International streaming segments derive revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of streaming content. The Domestic DVD segment derives revenues from monthly membership fees for services consisting solely of DVD-by-mail. Revenues and the related payment card fees are attributed to the operating segment based on the nature of the underlying membership (DVD or streaming) and the geographic region from which the membership originates. There are no internal revenue transactions between the Company’s reporting segments.
	Cost of revenues are primarily attributed to the operating segment based on the amounts directly incurred by the segment to obtain content and deliver it to the specific region. Marketing expenses are primarily comprised of advertising expenses which are generally included in the segment in which the expenditures are directly incurred.
	The Company's long-lived tangible assets were located as follows:
		As of December 31,
		2013		2012
		(in thousands)
	United States	$	126,455	$	127,712
	International	7,150		3,969
	Prior to the fourth quarter of 2011 the Company had two operating segments: Domestic and International. During this time, the Company’s domestic streaming content and DVD-by-mail operations were combined. Members in the United States were able to receive both streaming content and DVDs under a single hybrid plan. Accordingly, revenues were generated and marketing expenses were incurred in connection with the membership offerings as a whole. Therefore, it is impracticable to allocate revenues or marketing expenses or present discrete segment information for the Domestic streaming and Domestic DVD segments for periods prior to the fourth quarter of 2011.
	In the third quarter of 2011, the Company made certain changes to its domestic pricing and plan structure which require members who wish to receive both DVDs-by-mail and streaming content to have two separate membership plans. Following this change, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company was able to generate discrete financial information for its Domestic DVD and Domestic streaming operations and began reporting this information to the chief operating decision maker for review.
	The following tables represent segment information for the year ended December 31, 2013:
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2013
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total members at end of period (1)	33,420		10,930			6,930			—
	Revenues	$	2,751,375	$	712,390		$	910,797		$	4,374,562
	Cost of revenues	1,849,154		774,753			459,349			3,083,256
	Marketing	279,454		211,969			12,466			503,889
	Contribution profit (loss)	$	622,767	$	(274,332	)	$	438,982		$	787,417
	Other operating expenses									559,070
	Operating income									228,347
	Other income (expense)									(57,273		)
	Provision for income taxes									58,671
	Net income									$	112,403
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2013
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total content library, net	$	2,973,023	$	804,690		$	19,779		$	3,797,492
	Amortization of content library	1,420,076		701,905			71,325			2,193,306
	The following tables represent segment information for the year ended December 31, 2012:
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2012
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total members at end of period (1)	27,146		6,121			8,224			—
	Revenues	$	2,184,868	$	287,542		$	1,136,872		$	3,609,282
	Cost of revenues	1,558,864		475,570			591,432			2,625,866
	Marketing	256,995		201,115			7,290			465,400
	Contribution profit (loss)	$	369,009	$	(389,143	)	$	538,150		$	518,016
	Other operating expenses									468,024
	Operating income									49,992
	Other income (expense)									(19,512		)
	Provision for income taxes									13,328
	Net income									$	17,152
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2012
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total content library, net	$	2,317,070	$	527,235		$	29,865		$	2,874,170
	Amortization of content library	1,152,446		438,772			65,396			1,656,614
	The following table represents the Company's segment information for the fourth quarter of 2011:
		As of/Three Months ended December 31, 2011
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total members at end of period (1)	21,671		1,858			11,165			—
	Revenues	$	476,334	$	28,988		$	370,253		$	875,575
	Cost of revenues	345,026		55,909			174,220			575,155
	Marketing	73,335		32,822			1,490			107,647
Contribution profit (loss)	$	57,973	$	(59,743	)	$	194,543		$	192,773
Other operating expenses									130,901
Operating income									61,872
Other income (expense)									(5,037		)
Provision for income taxes									21,616
Net income									$	35,219
The following table represents the Company’s segment information for the year ended December 31, 2011 based on the Company’s segment reporting prior to the fourth quarter of 2011:
	As of/Year ended December 31, 2011
	Domestic		International			Consolidated
	(in thousands)
Total unique members at end of period (1) (2)	24,395		1,858			26,253
Revenues	$	3,121,727	$	82,850		$	3,204,577
Cost of revenues	1,932,419		107,482			2,039,901
Marketing	302,752		78,517			381,269
Contribution profit (loss)	$	886,556	$	(103,149	)	$	783,407
Other operating expenses						407,339
Operating income						376,068
Other income (expense)						(16,546		)
Provision for income taxes						133,396
Net income						$	226,126
-1	A membership (also referred to as a subscription) is defined as the right to receive either the Netflix streaming service or Netflix DVD service. Memberships are assigned to territories based on the geographic location used at time of sign up as determined by our internal systems, which utilize industry standard geo-location technology. The Company offers free-trial memberships to new and certain rejoining members. For inclusion in the definition of a member in the above metrics, a method of payment is required to be provided even during the free-trial period. Total members therefore include those who are on a free-trial and have provided a method of payment. A membership would be canceled and cease to be reflected in the above metrics as of the effective cancellation date. Voluntary cancellations become effective at the end of the monthly membership period, while involuntary cancellation of the service, as a result of a failed method of payment, becomes effective immediately.
-2	For purposes of determining the number of unique members, domestic members who have elected both a DVD and a streaming membership plan are considered a single unique member.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)	'
	Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
		December 31		September 30		June 30		March 31
		(in thousands, except for per share data)
	2013
	Total revenues	$	1,175,230	$	1,105,999	$	1,069,372	$	1,023,961
	Gross profit	363,381		314,980		315,847		297,098
	Net income	48,421		31,822		29,471		2,689
	Earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.81	$	0.54	$	0.51	$	0.05
	Diluted	0.79		0.52		0.49		0.05
	2012
	Total revenues	$	945,239	$	905,089	$	889,163	$	869,791
	Gross profit	249,372		242,451		245,735		245,858
	Net income (loss)	7,897		7,675		6,164		(4,584		)
	Earnings (loss) per share:
	Basic	$	0.14	$	0.14	$	0.11	$	(0.08	)
	Diluted	0.13		0.13		0.11		(0.08		)

Organization_and_Summary_of_Si1

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Use of Estimates	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the amortization policy for the streaming content library; the recognition and measurement of income tax assets and liabilities; and the valuation of stock-based compensation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	'
	Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments
	The Company considers investments in instruments purchased with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. The Company also classifies amounts in transit from payment processors for customer credit card and debit card transactions as cash equivalents.
	The Company classifies short-term investments, which consist of marketable securities with original maturities in excess of 90 days as available-for-sale. Short-term investments are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income” within stockholders’ equity in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The amortization of premiums and discounts on the investments, realized gains and losses, and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary on available-for-sale securities are included in “Interest and other income (expense)” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company uses the specific identification method to determine cost in calculating realized gains and losses upon the sale of short-term investments.
	Short-term investments are reviewed periodically to identify possible other-than-temporary impairment. When evaluating the investments, the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer, the Company’s intent to sell, or whether it would be more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell the investments before the recovery of their amortized cost basis.
Streaming Content	'
	Streaming Content
	The Company licenses rights to stream TV shows, movies and original content to members for unlimited viewing. These licenses are for a fixed fee and specify license windows that generally range from six months to five years. Payment terms may extend over the license window, or may require more up-front payments as is typically the case for original content or content that is licensed in an earlier window through an output arrangement.
	The Company capitalizes the fee per title and records a corresponding liability at the gross amount of liabilities when the license period begins, the cost of the title is known and the title is accepted and available for streaming. The portion available for streaming within one year is recognized as “Current content library” and the remaining portion as “Non-current content library”. The acquisition of streaming content license rights and the changes in related liabilities, are classified within cash used in operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
	The Company amortizes the content library in “Cost of revenues” on a straight line or on an accelerated basis, as appropriate:
	•	For content that does not premiere on the Netflix service (representing the vast majority of content), the Company amortizes on a straight-line basis over the shorter of each title’s contractual window of availability or estimated period of use, beginning with the month of first availability. The amortization period typically ranges from six months to five years.
	•	For content that premieres on the Netflix service, the Company expects more upfront viewing due to the additional merchandising and marketing efforts for this original content available only on Netflix. Hence, the Company amortizes on an accelerated basis over the amortization period, which is the shorter of four years or the license period, beginning with the month of first availability. If a subsequent season is added, the amortization period is extended by a year.
	•	If the cost per title cannot be reasonably estimated, the license fee is not capitalized and costs are expensed on a straight line basis over the license period. This typically occurs when the license agreement does not specify the number of titles, the license fee per title or the windows of availability per title.
	The content library is stated at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value. Streaming content licenses (whether capitalized or not) are reviewed in aggregate at the geographic region level for impairment when an event or change in circumstances indicates a change in the expected usefulness of the content. The level of geographic aggregation is determined based on the streaming content rights which are generally specific to a geographic region inclusive of several countries (such as Latin America). No material write down from unamortized cost to a lower net realizable value was recorded in any of the periods presented.
DVD Content Library	'
	DVD Content Library
	The Company acquires DVD content for the purpose of renting such content to its members and earning membership rental revenues, and, as such, the Company considers its direct purchase DVD library to be a productive asset. Accordingly, the Company classifies its DVD library in “Non-current content library, net” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The acquisition of DVD content library, net of changes in related liabilities, is classified within cash used in investing activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows because the DVD content library is considered a productive asset. Other companies in the in-home entertainment video industry classify these cash flows as operating activities. The Company amortizes its direct purchase DVDs on an accelerated basis over their estimated useful lives, which range from one year to two years. The Company also obtains DVD content through revenue sharing agreements with studios and other content providers. Revenue sharing obligations are expensed as incurred based on shipments.
Property and Equipment	'
	Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, generally up to 30 years, or the lease term for leasehold improvements, if applicable. Leased buildings are capitalized and included in property and equipment when the Company was involved in the construction funding and did not meet the “sale-leaseback” criteria.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	'
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	Long-lived assets such as DVD content library, property and equipment and intangible assets subject to depreciation and amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of asset groups to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds fair value of the asset group. There were no events or changes in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable in any of the years presented
Revenue Recognition	'
	Revenue Recognition
	Revenues are recognized ratably over each monthly membership period. Revenues are presented net of the taxes that are collected from members and remitted to governmental authorities. Deferred revenue consists of membership fees billed to members that have not been recognized and gift memberships that have not been redeemed
Marketing	'
	Marketing
	Marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising expenses and also include payments made to the Company’s affiliates and consumer electronics partners. Advertising expenses include promotional activities such as television and online advertising. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	The Company records a tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Deferred income taxes are recognized by applying enacted statutory tax rates applicable to future years to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance for any tax benefits for which future realization is uncertain. There was no significant valuation allowance as of December 31, 2013 or 2012.
	The Company did not recognize certain tax benefits from uncertain tax positions within the provision for income taxes. The Company recognizes a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding income taxes.
Foreign Currency	'
	Foreign Currency
	The Company translates the assets and liabilities of its non-U.S. dollar functional currency subsidiaries into U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at the end of each period. Revenues and expenses for these subsidiaries are translated using rates that approximate those in effect during the period. Gains and losses from these translations are recognized in cumulative translation adjustment included in "Accumulated other comprehensive income" in stockholders’ equity on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	The Company remeasures monetary assets and liabilities that are not denominated in the functional currency at exchange rates in effect at the end of each period. Gains and losses from these remeasurements are recognized in interest and other income (expense)
Earnings Per Share	'
	Earnings Per Share
	Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted-average number of outstanding shares of common stock and, when dilutive, potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares consist of shares issuable upon the assumed conversion of the Company’s Convertible Notes (prior to the conversion of such notes) and incremental shares issuable upon the assumed exercise of stock options
Stock-Based Compensation	'
	Stock-Based Compensation
	The Company grants stock options to its employees on a monthly basis. The Company has elected to grant all options as fully vested non-qualified stock options. As a result of immediate vesting, stock-based compensation expense is fully recognized on the grant date, and no estimate is required for post-vesting option forfeitures. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding stock-based compensation.
Stock Repurchases	'
	Stock Repurchases
	To facilitate a stock repurchase program, shares are repurchased by the Company in the open market and are accounted for when the transaction is settled. Shares held for future issuance are classified as Treasury stock. Shares formally or constructively retired are deducted from common stock for par value and from additional paid-in capital for the excess over par value. If additional paid-in capital has been exhausted, the excess over par value is deducted from Retained earnings. Direct costs incurred to acquire the shares are included in the total cost of the shares.

Organization_and_Summary_of_Si2

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Computation of Net Income Per Share	'
	The computation of earnings per share is as follows:
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands, except per share data)
	Basic earnings per share:
	Net income	$	112,403		$	17,152		$	226,126
	Shares used in computation:
	Weighted-average common shares outstanding	58,198			55,521			52,847
	Basic earnings per share	$	1.93		$	0.31		$	4.28
	Diluted earnings per share:
	Net income	$	112,403		$	17,152		$	226,126
	Convertible Notes interest expense, net of tax	49			195			17
	Numerator for diluted earnings per share	112,452			17,347			226,143
	Shares used in computation:
	Weighted-average common shares outstanding	58,198			55,521			52,847
	Convertible Notes shares	715			2,331			217
	Employee stock options	1,848			1,052			1,305
	Weighted-average number of shares	60,761			58,904			54,369
	Diluted earnings per share	$	1.85		$	0.29		$	4.16
Summary of Potential Common Shares Excluded from Diluted Calculation	'
	The following table summarizes the potential common shares excluded from the diluted calculation:
		Year ended December 31,
		2013		2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	Employee stock options	198		1,207			225

ShortTerm_Investments_Tables

Short-Term Investments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Short-Term Investments And Fair Value Measurement [Abstract]	'
Available-For-Sale Securities Reported at Fair Value	'
	The following tables summarize, by major security type, the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy.
		31-Dec-13
		Amortized			Gross		Gross			Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Cash	$	483,959		$	—	$	—		$	483,959
	Level 1 securities:
	Money market funds	126,208			—		—			126,208
	Level 2 securities:
	Corporate debt securities	316,465			1,245		(654		)	317,056
	Government securities	143,812			287		(18		)	144,081
	Asset and mortgage-backed securities	93,118			229		(418		)	92,929
	Certificate of deposits	23,425			—		—			23,425
	Agency securities	17,951			—		(2		)	17,949
	Total (1)	$	1,204,938		$	1,761	$	(1,092	)	$	1,205,607
		31-Dec-12
		Amortized			Gross		Gross			Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Cash	$	284,661		$	—	$	—		$	284,661
	Level 1 securities:
	Money market funds	10,500			—		—			10,500
	Level 2 securities:
	Corporate debt securities	150,322			1,605		(32		)	151,895
	Government securities	166,643			285		—			166,928
	Asset and mortgage-backed securities	138,340			750		(125		)	138,965
	Total (2)	$	750,466		$	2,640	$	(157	)	$	752,949
	-1	Includes $605.0 million that is included in cash and cash equivalents, $595.4 million included in short-term investments and $5.2 million of restricted cash that is included in other non-current assets related to workers compensation deposits.
	-2	Includes $290.3 million included in cash and cash equivalents, $457.8 million included in short-term investments and $4.8 million of restricted cash that is included in other non-current assets
Estimated Fair Value Of Short-Term Investments By Contractual Maturity	'
	The estimated fair value of short-term investments by contractual maturity as of December 31, 2013 is as follows:
			(in thousands)
	Due within one year		$	144,267
	Due after one year and through 5 years		408,048
	Due after 5 years and through 10 years		1,703
	Due after 10 years		41,422
	Total short-term investments		$	595,440

Balance_Sheet_Components_Table

Balance Sheet Components (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Balance Sheet Components Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Components Of Content Library	'
	Content library consisted of the following:
		As of December 31,
		2013				2012
		(in thousands)
	Total content library, gross	$	6,474,688			$	5,001,524
	Accumulated amortization	(2,677,196		)		(2,127,354		)
	Total content library, net	3,797,492				2,874,170
	Current content library, net	1,706,421				1,368,162
	Non-current content library, net	$	2,091,071			$	1,506,008
Property And Equipment And Accumulated Depreciation	'
	Property and equipment and accumulated depreciation consisted of the following:
					As of December 31,
					2013				2012
					(in thousands)
	Computer equipment		3 years		$	102,867			$	84,193
	Operations and other equipment		5 years		96,361				100,207
	Software		3 years		36,439				39,073
	Furniture and fixtures		3 years		21,011				18,208
	Building		30 years		40,681				40,681
	Leasehold improvements		Over life of lease		51,194				45,393
	Capital work-in-progress				8,643				8,282
	Property and equipment, gross				357,196				336,037
	Less: Accumulated depreciation				(223,591		)		(204,356		)
	Property and equipment, net				$	133,605			$	131,681

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Expected timing of payments for streaming content obligations	'
	The expected timing of payments for these streaming content obligations is as follows:
		As of December 31,
		2013		2012
		(in thousands)
	Less than one year	$	2,972,325	$	2,299,562
	Due after one year and through 3 years	3,266,907		2,715,294
	Due after 3 years and through 5 years	929,645		540,346
	Due after 5 years	83,284		78,483
	Total streaming content obligations	$	7,252,161	$	5,633,685
Future minimum payments under lease financing obligations and non-cancelable operating leases	'
	Future minimum payments under lease financing obligations and non-cancelable operating leases as of December 31, 2013 are as follows:
	Year Ending December 31,	Future
		Minimum
		Payments
		(in thousands)
	2014	$	25,101
	2015	26,637
	2016	26,073
	2017	21,846
	2018	15,586
	Thereafter	86,179
	Total minimum payments	$	201,422

Stockholders_Equity_Tables

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Stockholders' Equity and Stock-based Compensation Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Summary Of Activity Related To Stock Option Plans	'
	A summary of the activities related to the Company’s stock option plans is as follows:
		Shares Available			Options Outstanding						Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (in Years)	Aggregate
		for Grant										Intrinsic Value
					Number of			Weighted- Average Exercise Price				(in Thousands)
					Shares
	Balances as of December 31, 2010	2,038,502			2,892,130			36.11
	Authorized	5,700,000			—			—
	Granted	(724,994	)		724,994			154.09
	Exercised	—			(659,370	)		29.11
	Balances as of December 31, 2011	7,013,508			2,957,754			66.59
	Granted	(1,803,798	)		1,803,798			73.94
	Exercised	—			(188,552	)		21.85
	Canceled	48			(48	)		35.95
	Expired	(1,160,721	)		—
	Balances as of December 31, 2012	4,049,037			4,572,952			71.33
	Granted	(642,720	)		642,720			208.94
	Exercised	—			(1,688,774	)		73.75
	Balances as of December 31, 2013	3,406,317			3,526,898
	Vested and exercisable at				3,526,898			95.25			6.16	$	962,570
	December 31, 2013
Summary Of Assumptions Used To Value Stock Option Grants Using Lattice-Binomial Model	'
	The following table summarizes the assumptions used to value option grants using the lattice-binomial model:
			Year Ended December 31,
			2013			2012			2011
	Dividend yield		—	%		—	%		—	%
	Expected volatility		51% - 54%			55% - 65%			51% – 65%
	Risk-free interest rate		1.87% - 2.71%			1.61% - 2.01%			2.05% – 3.42%
	Suboptimal exercise factor		2.33 - 3.92			2.26 - 3.65			2.17 – 3.64
Summary Of Stock Repurchases	'
	The following table presents a summary of the Company’s stock repurchases for the year ended December 31, 2011 (in thousands, except per share data):
	Total number of shares repurchased	900
	Dollar amount of shares repurchased	$	199,666
	Average price paid per share	$	221.88
	Range of price paid per share	$160.11 – $248.78

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv1

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'
	The following table summarizes the changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
		Foreign currency		Change in unrealized gains on available for sale securities			Total
		(in thousands)
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	24	$	682		$	706
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	1,357		1,275			2,632
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	—		(419		)	(419		)
	Net increase in other comprehensive income	1,357		856			2,213
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	1,381	$	1,538		$	2,919
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	1,772		(1,597		)	175
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	—		481			481
	Net increase (decrease) in other comprehensive income	1,772		(1,116		)	656
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	3,153	$	422		$	3,575

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Income before Income Taxes	'
	Income before provision for income taxes was as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	United States	$	159,126		$	27,885		$	359,786
	Foreign	11,948			2,595			(264		)
	Income before income taxes	$	171,074		$	30,480		$	359,522
Components of Provision for Income Taxes	'
	The components of provision for income taxes for all periods presented were as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	Current tax provision:
	Federal	$	58,558		$	34,387		$	123,406
	State	15,154			7,850			28,657
	Foreign	7,003			1,162			(70		)
	Total current	80,715			43,399			151,993
	Deferred tax provision:
	Federal	(18,930		)	(26,903		)	(14,008		)
	State	(2,751		)	(3,168		)	(4,589		)
	Foreign	(363		)	—			—
	Total deferred	(22,044		)	(30,071		)	(18,597		)
	Provision for income taxes	$	58,671		$	13,328		$	133,396
Reconciliation of Provision for Income Taxes	'
	A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes, with the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to income before income taxes is as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
		(in thousands)
	Expected tax expense at U.S. federal statutory rate of 35%	$	59,878		$	10,667		$	125,833
	State income taxes, net of Federal income tax effect	8,053			2,914			15,042
	R&D tax credit	(13,841		)	(1,803		)	(8,365		)
	Other	4,581			1,550			886
	Provision for income taxes	$	58,671		$	13,328		$	133,396
Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	'
		As of December 31,
		2013			2012
		(in thousands)
	Deferred tax assets (liabilities):
	Stock-based compensation	$	69,201		$	66,827
	Accruals and reserves	13,022			11,155
	Depreciation and amortization	(11,159		)	(18,356		)
	R&D credits	19,196			8,480
	Other	824			(244		)
	Total deferred tax assets	91,084			67,862
	Valuation allowance	(481		)	—
	Net deferred tax assets	$	90,603		$	67,862
Summary of Changes in Unrecognized Tax Benefits	'
	The aggregate changes in the Company’s total gross amount of unrecognized tax benefits are summarized as follows (in thousands):
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	28,133
	Increases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	8,487
	Decreases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	(320		)
	Increases related to tax positions taken during the current period	7,037
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	43,337
	Increases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	4
	Decreases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	(25		)
	Increases related to tax positions taken during the current period	24,915
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	68,231

Segment_Information_Tables

Segment Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Long-lived Assets by Geographic Areas	'
	The Company's long-lived tangible assets were located as follows:
		As of December 31,
		2013		2012
		(in thousands)
	United States	$	126,455	$	127,712
	International	7,150		3,969
Information On Reportable Segments And Reconciliation To Consolidated Net Income	'
	The following tables represent segment information for the year ended December 31, 2013:
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2013
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total members at end of period (1)	33,420		10,930			6,930			—
	Revenues	$	2,751,375	$	712,390		$	910,797		$	4,374,562
	Cost of revenues	1,849,154		774,753			459,349			3,083,256
	Marketing	279,454		211,969			12,466			503,889
	Contribution profit (loss)	$	622,767	$	(274,332	)	$	438,982		$	787,417
	Other operating expenses									559,070
	Operating income									228,347
	Other income (expense)									(57,273		)
	Provision for income taxes									58,671
	Net income									$	112,403
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2013
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total content library, net	$	2,973,023	$	804,690		$	19,779		$	3,797,492
	Amortization of content library	1,420,076		701,905			71,325			2,193,306
	The following tables represent segment information for the year ended December 31, 2012:
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2012
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total members at end of period (1)	27,146		6,121			8,224			—
	Revenues	$	2,184,868	$	287,542		$	1,136,872		$	3,609,282
	Cost of revenues	1,558,864		475,570			591,432			2,625,866
	Marketing	256,995		201,115			7,290			465,400
	Contribution profit (loss)	$	369,009	$	(389,143	)	$	538,150		$	518,016
	Other operating expenses									468,024
	Operating income									49,992
	Other income (expense)									(19,512		)
	Provision for income taxes									13,328
	Net income									$	17,152
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2012
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total content library, net	$	2,317,070	$	527,235		$	29,865		$	2,874,170
	Amortization of content library	1,152,446		438,772			65,396			1,656,614
	The following table represents the Company's segment information for the fourth quarter of 2011:
		As of/Three Months ended December 31, 2011
		Domestic		International			Domestic			Consolidated
		Streaming		Streaming			DVD
		(in thousands)
	Total members at end of period (1)	21,671		1,858			11,165			—
	Revenues	$	476,334	$	28,988		$	370,253		$	875,575
	Cost of revenues	345,026		55,909			174,220			575,155
	Marketing	73,335		32,822			1,490			107,647
	Contribution profit (loss)	$	57,973	$	(59,743	)	$	194,543		$	192,773
	Other operating expenses									130,901
	Operating income									61,872
	Other income (expense)									(5,037		)
	Provision for income taxes									21,616
	Net income									$	35,219
	The following table represents the Company’s segment information for the year ended December 31, 2011 based on the Company’s segment reporting prior to the fourth quarter of 2011:
		As of/Year ended December 31, 2011
		Domestic		International			Consolidated
		(in thousands)
	Total unique members at end of period (1) (2)	24,395		1,858			26,253
	Revenues	$	3,121,727	$	82,850		$	3,204,577
Cost of revenues	1,932,419		107,482			2,039,901
Marketing	302,752		78,517			381,269
Contribution profit (loss)	$	886,556	$	(103,149	)	$	783,407
Other operating expenses						407,339
Operating income						376,068
Other income (expense)						(16,546		)
Provision for income taxes						133,396
Net income						$	226,126
-1	A membership (also referred to as a subscription) is defined as the right to receive either the Netflix streaming service or Netflix DVD service. Memberships are assigned to territories based on the geographic location used at time of sign up as determined by our internal systems, which utilize industry standard geo-location technology. The Company offers free-trial memberships to new and certain rejoining members. For inclusion in the definition of a member in the above metrics, a method of payment is required to be provided even during the free-trial period. Total members therefore include those who are on a free-trial and have provided a method of payment. A membership would be canceled and cease to be reflected in the above metrics as of the effective cancellation date. Voluntary cancellations become effective at the end of the monthly membership period, while involuntary cancellation of the service, as a result of a failed method of payment, becomes effective immediately.
-2	For purposes of determining the number of unique members, domestic members who have elected both a DVD and a streaming membership plan are considered a single unique member.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D1

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Selected Quarterly Financial Data	'
		December 31		September 30		June 30		March 31
		(in thousands, except for per share data)
	2013
	Total revenues	$	1,175,230	$	1,105,999	$	1,069,372	$	1,023,961
	Gross profit	363,381		314,980		315,847		297,098
	Net income	48,421		31,822		29,471		2,689
	Earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.81	$	0.54	$	0.51	$	0.05
	Diluted	0.79		0.52		0.49		0.05
	2012
	Total revenues	$	945,239	$	905,089	$	889,163	$	869,791
	Gross profit	249,372		242,451		245,735		245,858
	Net income (loss)	7,897		7,675		6,164		(4,584		)
	Earnings (loss) per share:
	Basic	$	0.14	$	0.14	$	0.11	$	(0.08	)
	Diluted	0.13		0.13		0.11		(0.08		)

Organization_and_Summary_of_Si3

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
	segments	segments
		country
		member
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Number of streaming members	'	44,000,000	'	'
Number of Countries	'	40	'	'
Number of Hours	'	'1000000000 hours	'	'
Number of Operating Segments	2	3	'	'
Original content useful life	'	'4 years	'	'
Advertising expense	'	$437.90	$377.20	$299.10
Foreign currency transaction loss	'	$8.40	$4	'
Minimum [Member]	'	'	'	'
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Streaming content library useful life	'	'6 months	'	'
DVD content library useful life	'	'1 year	'	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'	'	'
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Streaming content library useful life	'	'5 years	'	'
DVD content library useful life	'	'2 years	'	'
Estimated useful life	'	'30 years	'	'
Content Library, Current [Member]	'	'	'	'
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Streaming content library useful life	'	'1 year	'	'

Organization_and_Summary_of_Si4

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Computation of Net Income Per Share) (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Basic earnings per share:

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net income

$48,421

$31,822

$29,471

$2,689

$7,897

$7,675

$6,164

($4,584)

$35,219

$112,403

$17,152

$226,126

Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

58,198

55,521

52,847

Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)

$0.81

$0.54

$0.51

$0.05

$0.14

$0.14

$0.11

($0.08)

'

$1.93

$0.31

$4.28

Diluted earnings per share:

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net income

48,421

31,822

29,471

2,689

7,897

7,675

6,164

-4,584

35,219

112,403

17,152

226,126

Convertible Notes interest expense, net of tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

49

195

17

Numerator for diluted earnings per share

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$112,452

$17,347

$226,143

Shares used in computation:

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

58,198

55,521

52,847

Convertible Notes shares

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

715

2,331

217

Employee stock options

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,848

1,052

1,305

Weighted-average number of shares (in shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

60,761

58,904

54,369

Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)

$0.79

$0.52

$0.49

$0.05

$0.13

$0.13

$0.11

($0.08)

'

$1.85

$0.29

$4.16

Recovered_Sheet1

Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Summary of Potential Common Shares Excluded From Diluted Calculation) (Details) (Equity Option [Member])	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Equity Option [Member]	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'
Employee stock options	198	1,207	225

Reclassifications_and_Changes_1

Reclassifications and Changes in Estimates (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Content library useful life

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'4 years

'

'

Decrease in contribution profit/increase in contribution loss from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

($192,773,000)

($787,417,000)

($518,016,000)

($783,407,000)

Decrease in operating income from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-61,872,000

-228,347,000

-49,992,000

-376,068,000

Decrease in net income from change in estimate

-48,421,000

-31,822,000

-29,471,000

-2,689,000

-7,897,000

-7,675,000

-6,164,000

4,584,000

-35,219,000

-112,403,000

-17,152,000

-226,126,000

Decrease in basic earnings per share from change in estimate

($0.81)

($0.54)

($0.51)

($0.05)

($0.14)

($0.14)

($0.11)

$0.08

'

($1.93)

($0.31)

($4.28)

Decrease in diluted earnings per share from change in estimate

($0.79)

($0.52)

($0.49)

($0.05)

($0.13)

($0.13)

($0.11)

$0.08

'

($1.85)

($0.29)

($4.16)

Marketing Reclassified to General and Administrative [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Prior period reclassification adjustment

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

19,300,000

21,400,000

Net Cash Provided By (Used in) Investing Activities Reclassified to Net Cash Provided By (Used in) Operating Activities [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Prior period reclassification adjustment

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,200,000

'

Domestic Streaming [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Decrease in contribution profit/increase in contribution loss from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-57,973,000

-622,767,000

-369,009,000

'

International Streaming [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Decrease in contribution profit/increase in contribution loss from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

59,743,000

274,332,000

389,143,000

'

Service Life [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Decrease in operating income from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

25,000,000

'

'

Decrease in net income from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

15,400,000

'

'

Decrease in basic earnings per share from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$0.27

'

'

Decrease in diluted earnings per share from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$0.25

'

'

Service Life [Member] | Domestic Streaming [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Decrease in contribution profit/increase in contribution loss from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

18,900,000

'

'

Service Life [Member] | International Streaming [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Decrease in contribution profit/increase in contribution loss from change in estimate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$6,100,000

'

'

ShortTerm_Investments_Availabl

Short-Term Investments (Available-For-Sale Securities Reported At Fair Value) (Details) (Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member], USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Total, Amortized Cost	$1,204,938	[1]	$750,466	[2]
Total, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,761	[1]	2,640	[2]
Total, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,092	[1]	-157	[2]
Total, Estimated Fair Value	1,205,607	[1]	752,949	[2]
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Total, Estimated Fair Value	605,000		290,300
Short-term Investments [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Total, Estimated Fair Value	595,400		457,800
Non-current Assets [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Total, Estimated Fair Value	5,200		4,800
Level 1 Securities [Member] | Money market funds [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cash and Money market funds, Amortized Cost	126,208		10,500
Cash and Money market funds, Gross Unrealized Gains	0		0
Cash and Money market funds, Gross Unrealized Losses	0		0
Cash and Money market funds, Fair Value Disclosure	126,208		10,500
Level 2 Securities [Member] | Corporate debt securities [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost	316,465		150,322
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,245		1,605
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-654		-32
Available-for-sale Securities, Estimated Fair Value	317,056		151,895
Level 2 Securities [Member] | Government securities [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost	143,812		166,643
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	287		285
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-18		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Estimated Fair Value	144,081		166,928
Level 2 Securities [Member] | Asset and mortgage-backed securities [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost	93,118		138,340
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	229		750
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-418		-125
Available-for-sale Securities, Estimated Fair Value	92,929		138,965
Level 2 Securities [Member] | Certificates of deposit [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost	23,425		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Estimated Fair Value	23,425		'
Level 2 Securities [Member] | Agency securities [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost	17,951		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2		'
Available-for-sale Securities, Estimated Fair Value	17,949		'
Cash [Member]	'		'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cash and Money market funds, Amortized Cost	483,959		284,661
Cash and Money market funds, Gross Unrealized Gains	0		0
Cash and Money market funds, Gross Unrealized Losses	0		0
Cash and Money market funds, Fair Value Disclosure	$483,959		$284,661
[1]	Includes $605.0 million that is included in cash and cash equivalents, $595.4 million included in short-term investments and $5.2 million of restricted cash that is included in other non-current assets related to workers compensation deposits.
[2]	Includes $290.3 million included in cash and cash equivalents, $457.8 million included in short-term investments and $4.8 million of restricted cash that is included in other non-current assets related to workers compensation deposits.

ShortTerm_Investments_Estimate

Short-Term Investments (Estimated Fair Value Of Short-Term Investments By Contractual Maturity) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Short-Term Investments And Fair Value Measurement [Abstract]	'
Due within one year	$144,267
Due after one year and through 5 years	408,048
Due after 5 years and through 10 years	1,703
Due after 10 years	41,422
Total short-term investments	$595,440

Balance_Sheet_Components_Compo

Balance Sheet Components (Components of Content Library) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]	'	'
Total content library, gross	$6,474,688	$5,001,524
Accumulated amortization	-2,677,196	-2,127,354
Total content library, net	3,797,492	2,874,170
Current content library, net	1,706,421	1,368,162
Non-current content library, net	$2,091,071	$1,506,008

Balance_Sheet_Components_Prope

Balance Sheet Components (Property and Equipment and Accumulated Depreciation) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	$357,196	$336,037
Less: Accumulated depreciation	-223,591	-204,356
Property and equipment, net	133,605	131,681
Computer equipment [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	102,867	84,193
Property and equipment, useful life, years	'3 years	'
Operations and other equipment [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	96,361	100,207
Property and equipment, useful life, years	'5 years	'
Software [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	36,439	39,073
Property and equipment, useful life, years	'3 years	'
Furniture and fixtures [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	21,011	18,208
Property and equipment, useful life, years	'3 years	'
Building [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	40,681	40,681
Property and equipment, useful life, years	'30 years	'
Leasehold improvements [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	51,194	45,393
Capital work-in-progress [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property and equipment, gross	$8,643	$8,282

LongTerm_Debt_Senior_Convertib

Long-Term Debt (Senior Convertible Notes) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	28-May-12	Apr. 30, 2013	Nov. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	28-May-12	28-May-12
					Director [Member]	Director [Member]	Director [Member]	Director [Member]	Minimum [Member]	Maximum [Member]
					Convertible Debt [Member]	Convertible Debt [Member]	Convertible Debt [Member]	Convertible Debt [Member]	Director [Member]	Director [Member]
					Senior Convertible Notes [Member]	Senior Convertible Notes [Member]	Senior Convertible Notes [Member]	Senior Convertible Notes [Member]	Convertible Debt [Member]	Convertible Debt [Member]
									Senior Convertible Notes [Member]	Senior Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Long-term debt due to related party	'	$0	$200,000,000	'	'	'	$200,000,000	'	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of debt, net of issuance costs	'	490,586,000	-295,000	198,060,000	'	'	197,800,000	'	'	'
Debt issuance costs, net	'	'	'	'	'	'	2,200,000	'	'	'
Payment of debt issuance costs	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$300,000	'	'
Weighted average price of common stock	'	'	'	'	$111.54	'	'	'	'	'
Trading days prior to conversion date required for conversion	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'50 days	'65 days
Common stock, shares issued	2,300,000	'	'	'	'	2,300,000	'	'	'	'
Common stock conversion ratio	'	'	'	'	'	11.6553	'	'	'	'
Fair value at conversion	'	'	'	'	'	$216.99	'	'	'	'

LongTerm_Debt_Senior_Notes_Nar

Long-Term Debt (Senior Notes) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Nov. 15, 2013	Nov. 30, 2009	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Feb. 28, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
				Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]	Senior Notes [Member]
				8.50% Senior Notes [Member]	8.50% Senior Notes [Member]	8.50% Senior Notes [Member]	8.50% Senior Notes [Member]	5.375% Senior Notes [Member]	5.375% Senior Notes [Member]	5.375% Senior Notes [Member]	5.375% Senior Notes [Member]
											Level 2 Securities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Face amount	'	'	'	'	$200,000,000	'	'	'	'	$500,000,000	'
Interest rate	'	'	'	'	8.50%	'	'	'	'	5.38%	'
Proceeds from issuance of debt, net of issuance costs	490,586,000	-295,000	198,060,000	'	193,900,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Debt issuance costs, net	'	'	'	'	6,100,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption price, percent of outstanding principal	'	'	'	100.00%	'	'	101.00%	'	101.00%	'	'
Repayments	219,362,000	0	0	'	'	'	'	224,500,000	'	'	'
Make-whole premium	'	'	'	'	'	19,400,000	'	'	'	'	'
Interest paid	19,114,000	19,009,000	19,395,000	'	'	5,100,000	'	'	'	'	'
Loss on extinguishment of debt	-25,129,000	0	0	'	'	25,100,000	'	'	'	'	'
Write off of unamortized deferred financing costs	'	'	'	'	'	4,200,000	'	'	'	'	'
Senior notes, fair value	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$506,300,000

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies (Streaming Content) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Contractual Obligation [Line Items]	'	'
Total streaming content obligations	$7,252,161,000	$5,633,685,000
Unrecorded streaming obligations	4,200,000,000	3,200,000,000
Current Content Liabilities [Member]	'	'
Contractual Obligation [Line Items]	'	'
Recorded streaming obligations	1,800,000,000	1,300,000,000
Non-current Content Liabilities [Member]	'	'
Contractual Obligation [Line Items]	'	'
Recorded streaming obligations	$1,300,000,000	$1,100,000,000

Commitments_and_Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies (Expected Timing of Payments for Commitments) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Less than one year	$2,972,325	$2,299,562
Due after one year and through 3 years	3,266,907	2,715,294
Due after 3 years and through 5 years	929,645	540,346
Due after 5 years	83,284	78,483
Total streaming content obligations	$7,252,161	$5,633,685

Commitments_and_Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies (Lease Obligations) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
				Land, Buildings and Improvements[Member]	Land, Buildings and Improvements[Member]	Land, Buildings and Improvements[Member]	Land, Buildings and Improvements[Member]	Land, Buildings and Improvements[Member]
				Los Gatos Buildings [Member]	Los Gatos Buildings [Member]	Los Gatos Buildings [Member]	Los Gatos Buildings [Member]	Los Gatos Buildings Expanded Site [Member]
						Accrued Expenses [Member]	Other non-current liabilities [Member]
Capital Leased Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total costs of buildings and improvements	'	'	'	'	$40.70	'	'	'
Extended lease term	'	'	'	'5 years	'	'	'	'
Capital leases increase in future minimum payments due	'	'	'	14	'	'	'	'
Capital lease obligations	'	'	'	'	30.6	1.1	29.5	'
Capital leases, future minimum payments due	'	'	'	'	12.1	'	'	121.2
Capital lease financing obligation under extended lease term	'	'	'	'	25.8	'	'	'
Lease term	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'124 months
Rent expense	$27.90	$29.70	$16.90	'	'	'	'	'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_4

Commitments and Contingencies (Future Minimum Payments Under Lease Financing Obligations and Non-Cancelable Operating Leases) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
2014	$25,101
2015	26,637
2016	26,073
2017	21,846
2018	15,586
Thereafter	86,179
Total minimum payments	$201,422

Commitments_and_Contingencies_5

Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies (Legal Proceedings) (Details) (Pending Litigation [Member])	Apr. 02, 2012	Feb. 29, 2012	Feb. 24, 2012	Feb. 13, 2012	Jan. 27, 2012	Jan. 13, 2012	2-May-12	Feb. 09, 2012	Nov. 23, 2011
	United States District Court for the Northern District of California [Member]	United States District Court for the Northern District of California [Member]	United States District Court for the Northern District of California [Member]	United States District Court for the Northern District of California [Member]	United States District Court for the Northern District of California [Member]	United States District Court for the Northern District of California [Member]	Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County [Member]	Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County [Member]	Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County [Member]
	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed	lawsuits_filed
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Shareholder suits	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Stockholders_Equity_Narrative_

Stockholders' Equity (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Nov. 28, 2011	Apr. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Nov. 02, 2012
Stockholders' Equity and Stock-based Compensation Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of rights	'	'	'	'	'	$1
Common stock, par value	'	'	$0.00	$0.00	'	$0.00
Preferred stock, par value	'	'	$0.00	$0.00	'	$0.00
Right to purchase preferred stock, conversion ratio	'	'	'	'	'	0.001
Right to purchase preferred stock, exercise price	'	'	'	'	'	350,000
Percent ownership threshold of common stock to become exercisable	'	'	10.00%	'	'	'
Percent ownership threshold of common stock to become exercisable for certain institutional investors	'	'	20.00%	'	'	'
Common stock, shares issued	2,900,000	'	'	'	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	$200,000,000	'	$124,557,000	$4,124,000	$19,614,000	'
Issuance costs	$500,000	'	'	'	'	'
Common stock, shares issued	'	2,300,000	'	'	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_Stockholde

Stockholders' Equity Stockholders' Equity (Preferred Stock and Voting Rights) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 02, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000	'
Preferred stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0	'
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0	'
Number of voting rights per share	1	'	'
Series A [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Preferred stock, shares authorized	'	1,000,000	'
Preferred stock, par value	'	$0.00	'
Undesignated Stock [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Preferred stock, shares authorized	'	9,000,000	'
Preferred stock, par value	'	$0.00	'

Stockholders_Equity_Stockholde1

Stockholders' Equity Stockholders' Equity (Stock Option Plans) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2012
				2011 Stock Plan [Member]	2002 Stock Plan [Member]
				Employee Stock Option [Member]	Employee Stock Option [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Shares available for future issuance	'	'	'	3,400,000	1,200,000
Total intrinsic value of options exercised	$274,200,000	$14,700,000	$128,100,000	'	'
Cash received from option exercised	$124,557,000	$4,124,000	$19,614,000	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of

Stockholders' Equity (Summary of Activity Related to Stock Option Plans) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Shares Available for Grant, Beginning Balances	4,049,037	7,013,508	2,038,502
Options Outstanding, Number of Shares, Beginning Balances	4,572,952	2,957,754	2,892,130
Shares Available for Grant, Authorized	'	'	5,700,000
Options Outstanding, Number of Shares, Granted	642,720	1,803,798	724,994
Options Outstanding, Number of Shares, Exercised	-1,688,774	-188,552	-659,370
Options Outstanding, Number of Shares, Canceled	'	48	'
Shares Available for Grant, Expired	'	-1,160,721	'
Shares Available for Grant, Ending Balances	3,406,317	4,049,037	7,013,508
Options Outstanding, Number of Shares, Ending Balances	3,526,898	4,572,952	2,957,754
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Abstract]	'	'	'
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Beginning Balances	$71.33	$66.59	$36.11
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Granted	$208.94	$73.94	$154.09
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Exercised	$73.75	$21.85	$29.11
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Canceled	'	$35.95	'
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Ending Balances	'	$71.33	$66.59
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Additional Disclosures [Abstract]	'	'	'
Options Outstanding, Number of Shares, Vested and exercisable	3,526,898	'	'
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Vested and exercisable	$95.25	'	'
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term, Vested and exercisable (in Years)	'6 years 1 month 28 days	'	'
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Vested and exercisable	$962,570	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_Stockholde2

Stockholders' Equity Stockholders' Equity (Employee Stock Purchase Plan) (Narrative) (Details) (2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member])	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Purchase price as a percent of closing price	85.00%
Common stock purchase period	'6 months
Common stock look-back period	'6 months
Maximum percent employees can invest of their gross compensation through payroll deductions	15.00%
Maximum number of shares employee can purchase	8,334
Shares available for future issuance	2,785,721

Stockholders_Equity_Stockholde3

Stockholders' Equity Stockholders' Equity (Stock-Based Compensation) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			84 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	30 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2004	Jan. 01, 2007
	employee_group				Granted before June 30, 2004 [Member]	Granted after June 30, 2004 and bfore January 1, 2007 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Exercise period after employment termination	'	'	'	'	'3 months	'1 year
Full exercise period	'	'	'	'10 years	'	'
Number of employee groups	2	'	'	'	'	'
Dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	'	'	'
Weighted-average fair value of employee stock options granted per share	$113.74	$41	$84.94	'	'	'
Stock based compensation expense	$73.10	$73.90	$61.60	'	'	'
Income tax benefit	$28.10	$28.50	$22.80	'	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of1

Stockholders' Equity (Summary of Assumptions Used to Value Stock Option Grants) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
	suboptimal_exercise_factor	suboptimal_exercise_factor	suboptimal_exercise_factor
Stockholders' Equity and Stock-based Compensation Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Expected volatility, minimum	51.00%	55.00%	51.00%
Expected volatility, maximum	54.00%	65.00%	65.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum	1.87%	1.61%	2.05%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum	2.71%	2.01%	3.42%
Suboptimal exercise factor, minimum	2.33	2.26	2.17
Suboptimal exercise factor, maximum	3.92	3.65	3.64

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of2

Stockholders' Equity (Summary of Stock Repurchases) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Total number of shares repurchased	900,000
Dollar amount of shares repurchased	$199,666
Average price paid per share	$221.88
Minimum [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Range of price paid per share	$160
Maximum [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Range of price paid per share	$249

Stockholders_Equity_Stockholde4

Stockholders' Equity Stockholders' Equity (Stock Repurchase Program) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 11, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012
Stockholders' Equity and Stock-based Compensation Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Authorized amount	$300,000,000	'
Amount repurchased	'	259,000,000
Remaining authorized repurchase amount	'	$41,000,000

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]	'	'
Beginning balance	$2,919	$706
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	175	2,632
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	481	-419
Net increase (decrease) in other comprehensive income	656	2,213
Ending balance	3,575	2,919
Foreign currency [Member]	'	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]	'	'
Beginning balance	1,381	24
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	1,772	1,357
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in other comprehensive income	1,772	1,357
Ending balance	3,153	1,381
Change in unrealized gains on available for sale securities [Member]	'	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]	'	'
Beginning balance	1,538	682
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	-1,597	1,275
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	481	-419
Net increase (decrease) in other comprehensive income	-1,116	856
Ending balance	$422	$1,538

Income_Taxes_Income_Taxes_Sche

Income Taxes Income Taxes (Schedule of Income before Income Taxes) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
United States	$159,126	$27,885	$359,786
Foreign	11,948	2,595	-264
Income before income taxes	$171,074	$30,480	$359,522

Income_Taxes_Narrative_Details

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	'	$9,500,000	'	'
Unrecognized deferred tax liability related to undistributed foreign earnings	'	3,300,000	'	'
Income tax benefits attributable to the exercise of employee stock options	'	80,000,000	4,400,000	45,500,000
Federal R&D credit recorded by the Company	3,100,000	'	'	'
Unrecognized tax benefits	'	68,231,000	43,337,000	28,133,000
Reduction in provision for income taxes due to impact of effective tax rate	'	57,000,000	'	'
Gross interest and penalties accrued	'	3,900,000	3,100,000	'
Other Current Assets [Member]	'	'	'	'
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deferred tax assets, current	'	21,500,000	11,000,000	'
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]	'	'	'	'
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Deferred tax assets, noncurrent	'	69,100,000	56,900,000	'
State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]	'	'	'	'
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Tax credit carryforward amount	'	29,700,000	'	'
Tax credit carryforward subject to expiration	'	900,000	'	'
Tax credit carryforward not subject to expiration	'	28,800,000	'	'
Research Tax Credit Carryforward [Member] | Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member]	'	'	'	'
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Tax credit carryforward amount	'	$16,300,000	'	'

Income_Taxes_Components_of_Pro

Income Taxes (Components of Provision for Income Taxes) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current tax provision:	'	'	'	'
Federal	'	$58,558	$34,387	$123,406
State	'	15,154	7,850	28,657
Foreign	'	7,003	1,162	-70
Total current	'	80,715	43,399	151,993
Deferred tax provision:	'	'	'	'
Federal	'	-18,930	-26,903	-14,008
State	'	-2,751	-3,168	-4,589
Foreign	'	-363	0	0
Total deferred	'	-22,044	-30,071	-18,597
Provision for income taxes	$21,616	$58,671	$13,328	$133,396

Income_Taxes_Reconciliation_of

Income Taxes (Reconciliation of Provision for Income Taxes) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Expected tax expense at U.S. federal statutory rate of 35%	'	$59,878	$10,667	$125,833
State income taxes, net of Federal income tax effect	'	8,053	2,914	15,042
R&D tax credit	'	-13,841	-1,803	-8,365
Other	'	4,581	1,550	886
Provision for income taxes	$21,616	$58,671	$13,328	$133,396
Federal statutory rate	'	35.00%	'	'

Income_Taxes_Deferred_Tax_Asse

Income Taxes (Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Deferred tax assets (liabilities):	'	'
Stock-based compensation	$69,201	$66,827
Accruals and reserves	13,022	11,155
Depreciation and amortization	-11,159	-18,356
R&D credits	19,196	8,480
Other	824	-244
Total deferred tax assets	91,084	67,862
Valuation allowance	-481	0
Net deferred tax assets	$90,603	$67,862

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Change

Income Taxes (Summary of Changes in Unrecognized Tax Benefits) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]	'	'
Beginning Balance	$43,337	$28,133
Increases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	4	8,487
Decreases related to tax positions taken during prior periods	-25	-320
Increases related to tax positions taken during the current period	24,915	7,037
Ending Balance	$68,231	$43,337

Employee_Benefit_Plan_Details

Employee Benefit Plan (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Eligible employees maximum contribution percentage	60.00%	'	'
Contributions by employer	$6.50	$5.20	$4

Segment_Information_Narrative_

Segment Information (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013
	separate_subscription_plans	segments	segments
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'	'	'
Number of Operating Segments	'	2	3
Number of Separate Subscription Plans	2	'	'

Segment_Information_Longlived_

Segment Information (Long-lived Assets by Geographic Areas) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
United States [Member]	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Long-Lived Assets	$126,455	$127,712
International [Member]	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Long-Lived Assets	$7,150	$3,969

Segment_Information_Informatio

Segment Information (Information on Reportable Segments and Reconciliation to Consolidated Net Income) (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

subscription

subscription

subscription

subscription

subscription

subscription

unique_subscriber

unique_subscriber

unique_subscriber

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total members at end of period

0

[1]

'

'

'

0

[1]

'

'

'

0

[1]

0

[1]

0

[1]

0

[1]

Total unique subscribers at end of period

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

26,253,000

[1],[2]

'

'

26,253,000

[1],[2]

Revenues

$1,175,230

$1,105,999

$1,069,372

$1,023,961

$945,239

$905,089

$889,163

$869,791

$875,575

$4,374,562

$3,609,282

$3,204,577

Cost of revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

575,155

3,083,256

2,625,866

2,039,901

Marketing

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

107,647

503,889

465,400

381,269

Contribution profit (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

192,773

787,417

518,016

783,407

Other operating expenses

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

130,901

559,070

468,024

407,339

Operating income

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

61,872

228,347

49,992

376,068

Other income (expense)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-5,037

-57,273

-19,512

-16,546

Provision for income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

21,616

58,671

13,328

133,396

Net income

48,421

31,822

29,471

2,689

7,897

7,675

6,164

-4,584

35,219

112,403

17,152

226,126

Total content library, net

3,797,492

'

'

'

2,874,170

'

'

'

'

3,797,492

2,874,170

'

Amortization of content library

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2,193,306

1,656,614

'

Domestic Streaming [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total members at end of period

33,420,000

[1]

'

'

'

27,146,000

[1]

'

'

'

21,671,000

[1]

33,420,000

[1]

27,146,000

[1]

21,671,000

[1]

Revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

476,334

2,751,375

2,184,868

'

Cost of revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

345,026

1,849,154

1,558,864

'

Marketing

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

73,335

279,454

256,995

'

Contribution profit (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

57,973

622,767

369,009

'

Total content library, net

2,973,023

'

'

'

2,317,070

'

'

'

'

2,973,023

2,317,070

'

Amortization of content library

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,420,076

1,152,446

'

International Streaming [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total members at end of period

10,930,000

[1]

'

'

'

6,121,000

[1]

'

'

'

1,858,000

[1]

10,930,000

[1]

6,121,000

[1]

1,858,000

[1]

Revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

28,988

712,390

287,542

'

Cost of revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

55,909

774,753

475,570

'

Marketing

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

32,822

211,969

201,115

'

Contribution profit (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-59,743

-274,332

-389,143

'

Total content library, net

804,690

'

'

'

527,235

'

'

'

'

804,690

527,235

'

Amortization of content library

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

701,905

438,772

'

Domestic DVD [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total members at end of period

6,930,000

[1]

'

'

'

8,224,000

[1]

'

'

'

11,165,000

[1]

6,930,000

[1]

8,224,000

[1]

11,165,000

[1]

Revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

370,253

910,797

1,136,872

'

Cost of revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

174,220

459,349

591,432

'

Marketing

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,490

12,466

7,290

'

Contribution profit (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

194,543

438,982

538,150

'

Total content library, net

19,779

'

'

'

29,865

'

'

'

'

19,779

29,865

'

Amortization of content library

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

71,325

65,396

'

Domestic [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total unique subscribers at end of period

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

24,395,000

[1],[2]

'

'

24,395,000

[1],[2]

Revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3,121,727

Cost of revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,932,419

Marketing

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

302,752

Contribution profit (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

886,556

International [Member]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total unique subscribers at end of period

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,858,000

[1],[2]

'

'

1,858,000

[1],[2]

Revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

82,850

Cost of revenues

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

107,482

Marketing

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

78,517

Contribution profit (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

($103,149)

[1]

A membership (also referred to as a subscription) is defined as the right to receive either the Netflix streaming service or Netflix DVD service. Memberships are assigned to territories based on the geographic location used at time of sign up as determined by our internal systems, which utilize industry standard geo-location technology. The Company offers free-trial memberships to new and certain rejoining members. For inclusion in the definition of a member in the above metrics, a method of payment is required to be provided even during the free-trial period. Total members therefore include those who are on a free-trial and have provided a method of payment. A membership would be canceled and cease to be reflected in the above metrics as of the effective cancellation date. Voluntary cancellations become effective at the end of the monthly membership period, while involuntary cancellation of the service, as a result of a failed method of payment, becomes effective immediately.

[2]

For purposes of determining the number of unique members, domestic members who have elected both a DVD and a streaming membership plan are considered a single unique member.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D2

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended									12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	$1,175,230	$1,105,999	$1,069,372	$1,023,961	$945,239	$905,089	$889,163	$869,791	$875,575	$4,374,562	$3,609,282	$3,204,577
Gross profit	363,381	314,980	315,847	297,098	249,372	242,451	245,735	245,858	'	'	'	'
Net income	$48,421	$31,822	$29,471	$2,689	$7,897	$7,675	$6,164	($4,584)	$35,219	$112,403	$17,152	$226,126
Basic (in dollars per share)	$0.81	$0.54	$0.51	$0.05	$0.14	$0.14	$0.11	($0.08)	'	$1.93	$0.31	$4.28
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$0.79	$0.52	$0.49	$0.05	$0.13	$0.13	$0.11	($0.08)	'	$1.85	$0.29	$4.16