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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

NETFLIX SHARES RISE ON GOOD NEWS, FALL AGAIN ON BAD

People are watching a lot more movies and TV shows on Netflix’s streaming service than most analysts had suspected. The online movie-rental service, which has not figured in many positive stories of late, said Wednesday that its streaming-service subscribers watched more than 2 billion hours of content in the last quarter of 2011. BTIG Research [...]

COMING TO A PHONE NEAR YOU: THE SUPER BOWL

It’s hard to imagine who would want to watch the Super Bowl on a computer screen, let alone a mobile phone, but NBC announced on Tuesday that it plans to stream not only Super Bowl XLVI live on Feb. 5 from Indianapolis, but also two wild-card playoff games on Jan. 7 and the Pro Bowl [...]

NETFLIX RELEASES NEW, IMPROVED IPAD APP

Hoping to win back some of the 800.000 Netflix subscribers who fled after the company upped its prices for those wanting to rent movies via the mail and via online streaming, the online video renter on Wednesday unveiled a fully overhauled app for the iPad, which has received positive reviews from consumer technology sites. “The [...]

DISH MAY LAUNCH NETFLIX-LIKE STREAMING SERVICE

Taking to heart the old adage, If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, the DISH satellite company is planning to launch an online video streaming service to rival Netflix’s, CEO Joseph Clayton has told Bloomberg News. The service would presumably be an extension of the one Blockbuster already offers. (DISH acquired Blockbuster in a bankruptcy [...]

Next Page »