NETFLIX SHARES SOAR 42 PERCENT

Volatile Netflix shares were up a sensational 42.22 percent or $43.60 to $146.86 at the close of trading on the Nasdaq today (Thursday) following a better-than-expected quarterly report. Anders Bylund at the MotleyFool.com said that the through-the-roof rise of the stock represented “the kind of pop you’d expect from a generous buyout, not just a […]

MARKET SOARS; MEDIA STOCKS SOAR HIGHER

The Dow Jones Average rose 490 points on Wednesday — up 4.2 percent — but many media stocks soared even higher. While none of them were directly affected by the major driving forces of the upsurge — an increase in hiring by private businesses in the U.S.; word that central banks will cooperate to find […]

NETFLIX SHARES FALL TO NEW LOW

Already battered Netflix was pounded to the mat again this morning by investors who questioned the company’s strategy of pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its streaming service without a clear indicator of how such a strategy will pay off. Netflix shares closed at $70.45 Tuesday, significantly under its 52-week low and at a […]

NETFLIX ABORTS QWIKSTER

Responding to the continuing outcry and subscriber losses resulting from his announced plans to separate Netflix’s streaming and DVDs-by-mail services, Netflix chief Reed Hastings announced today (Monday) that the company had decided to abandon those plans. There will be no Qwikster. Instead, said Hastings in a blog post, “U.S. members will continue to use one […]

NETFLIX SHOOTS ITS OTHER FOOT

Those square red envelopes that have long identified Netflix DVD deliveries will soon be replaced by ones bearing the logo “Qwikster,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said on Sunday as he posted a public apology about recent moves by the company that have driven away a million subscribers and driven down its stock. Hastings said that […]

NETFLIX — FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS

Netflix said Monday that while it mailed out fewer DVDs during the first quarter of this year versus the same quarter last year, its profits rose a whopping 86 percent. Online streaming accounted for the growth, the company said, as many of its 23.6 million subscribers (up from 14 million last year) opted to view […]

NETFLIX’S STREAMING STRATEGY QUESTIONED

Analysts are questioning Netflix’s strategy of transitioning from mailing DVDs of movies to subscribers to streaming them online. Home Media magazine today (Monday) quoted Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities as estimating that Netflix’s license fees for streaming movies and TV shows is likely to increase to $500 million this year, while postage and distribution savings […]

KIOSK RENTALS LIKELY TO ROCKET IN 2011

Kiosk operators Redbox and Blockbuster Express are likely to see their revenue soar as a result of increased Blu-ray Disc rentals, which command a 50-percent premium, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. As reported by Home Media magazine, Pachter, in a note to clients, forecasts that Blu-ray rentals will boost Redbox’s revenue by 25 […]

SHREK’S TOUGHEST CRITIC: WALL STREET

Less-than-stellar box-office results for the opening of Shrek Forever After sent shares of DreamWorks Animation falling 11 percent on Monday. It was a repeat of what occurred in March when DWA’s How to Train Your Dragon also opened below predictions. That film, however, displayed strong legs (it has remained among the top ten for the […]