NETFLIX MAKES IT EASIER FOR CUSTOMERS TO OPT FOR DVD PLAN

Netflix chief Reed Hastings may repeatedly maintain that streaming is the wave of the future and do all that he can to convert his old DVD-by-mail subscribers to streaming subscribers, but it is the mail business that continues to support the company. On Friday, Netflix announced that new subscribers would be able to sign up [...]

HARRY POTTER AND THE CONQUEST OF TIME WARNER

Harry Potter again worked his magic at Time Warner in the fourth quarter — no doubt for the last time. With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2, the final installment of the franchise, dominating the box office in the last months of 2011, the media giant saw its net profit climb to [...]

REPORT: AMAZON AND VIACOM TO JOIN IN NEW STREAMING SERVICE

Amazon is expected to announce as early as Thursday a deal with Viacom to launch a new streaming video service that will compete with Netflix, Reuters reported today (Wednesday), citing two people familiar with the discussions. The deal would appear to give Amazon, which already operates a popular DVD-by-mail and streaming service in the U.K. [...]

NETFLIX: THE FUTURE OF TELEVISION?

In what could very well represent a window on the future of television, online film renter Netflix began streaming the Norwegian TV series Lilyhammer today (Monday). Netflix subscribers have the opportunity of watching as many episodes as they like whenever they like. In a statement, Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said, “Unlike any major [...]

NETFLIX: MOST PROFITS STILL COME FROM DVD-BY-MAIL

Netflix may be focusing most of its energy on promoting its streaming service, but its DVD-by-mail service is nearly five times more profitable, Home Media magazine reported on Monday. The trade publication on Monday observed that DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals via the mail accounted for $194 million in profit in 2011, representing 52 percent [...]

BSKYB MAY DEAL COUP DE GRACE TO NETFLIX

In an apparent bid to land a preemptive strike against Netflix just as the online movie renter ramps up its service in the U.K., News Corp-controlled BSkyB said today (Tuesday) that it plans to launch an Internet version of its Sky Movies package. Customers will be be able to pay for a monthly subscription that [...]

NETFLIX SHARES ZOOM ON EARNINGS REPORT

Netflix shares soared 22 percent on the Nasdaq today (Thursday) to $116.01 after the company reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings of $41 million on a whopping 43-percent increase in revenue of $876 million. The company, which was beleaguered by subscriber losses and analysts’ downgrades after it substantially raised fees for its combined streaming and DVD-by-mail service, [...]

NETFLIX STREAMING SERVICE GETTING A MAKEOVER (Updated)

With the major studios making it virtually impossible for Netflix to offer new movies to its streaming subscribers after its deal with Starz ends on February 28, the company seems poised for a makeover, increasingly offering original content. Although it launches the first of five planned original series on February 6 — Lilyhammer, starring Steven [...]

REDBOX NOW DVD RENTAL LEADER

According to Consumer research group NPD, most people who rent DVDs or Blu-ray discs now get them from Redbox kiosks. It noted, however, that one of the reasons is that Redbox’s principal competitor, Netflix, is focusing its attention on its streaming service rather than its DVD-by-mail service. According to NPD’s latest study, consumer rentals of [...]

WILL THE INTERNET ABSORB HOME VIDEO?

Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings predicted on Monday that “the era of broadcast TV is going to evolve to click-and-watch with the Internet.” Hastings made the comment in an interview with the London Independent as Netflix launched a low-cost streaming service in the U.K. and Ireland costing just £5.99 ($9.25) per month. Amazon-owned LoveFilm, [...]

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