NETFLIX ACQUIRES SERIALIZED DRAMAS FROM WARNER BROS. TV

Continuing to focus on television, rather than “flix” for its principal Internet streaming content, Netflix announced today that it had licensed several full seasons of serialized dramas produced by Warner Bros. TV. They include NBC’s new hit drama Revolution; the USA Network miniseries Political Animals with Sigourney Weaver; A&E’s Longmire; and ABC’s 666 Park Avenue. […]

DISNEY MOVIES ONLINE TO GO OFFLINE — FOR GOOD

Disney’s plan to create a website that allows people to buy or rent its movies online and to stream any of those that they already own onto mobile devices, personal computers and the like has failed. The company announced on Monday that its Disney Movies Online, which launched in 2009, will no longer be selling […]

CABLE COMPANIES DIVE INTO VIDEO GAMING

Cable-TV settop boxes may soon become video-game devices, according to a report by Bloomberg News. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and AT&T are all reportedly in talks with data streaming specialists to bring streaming game technology to subscribers. Tests could begin as early as next year. Online game streaming has been around for a while […]

NETFLIX SHARES CONTINUE TO TUMBLE

Netflix’s free fall continued unabated on Monday as shares closed at $57.75 on the Nasdaq, down an additional 2 percent to a new 52-week low. The company was hit anew with damaging news as Consumer Reports published results of a survey indicating that subscribers to Netflix’s streaming service are generally dissatisfied with it and prefer […]

LET THE OPENING CEREMONY BEGIN

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has said that he is aiming to create a “live film” spectacular at London’s Olympic Stadium tonight (Friday) for his “Isles of Wonder” opening ceremony. While some news outlets have estimated that 4 billion people will be watching his production (the London Daily Mail put the possible number at 8 billion, […]

NETFLIX RETURNING TO ITS DVD-BY-MAIL ROOTS?

Netflix, which has relegated its DVD/Blu-ray disc-by-mail service to an unloved-stepchild status and has focused on its streaming service, may be rethinking its approach, analysts have noted. The company apparently now feels threatened by the joint venture about to be launched between Redbox and Verizon that will combine Redbox’s kiosk operations with Verizon’s digital distribution. […]

STORM SHUTS DOWN NETFLIX ON EAST COAST

Netflix subscribers may be considering the U.S. Postal Service’s motto that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” will prevent their mail from being delivered, but a bad storm can disrupt their streaming service. An untold number of Netflix subscribers who dropped their DVD-by-mail service in favor of the streaming-only one discovered […]

CABLE SUBSCRIBERS OPTING OUT — BY THE MILLIONS

In what analysts regarded as mostly a reflection of the overall dormant economy and consumers’ desire to cut costs rather than an exodus to online content, a survey by research firm GfK Media on Monday revealed that the number of homes that only receive TV reception over the air increased from 15 percent in 2011 […]

NETFLIX SHARES PLUNGE AGAIN

Netflix’s first-quarter earnings filing received a mixed reception from analysts on Monday. Several shook their heads over the increased costs to expand internationally and to acquire — and in some cases produce — first-run television shows, costs that produced the company’s first quarterly loss. Others, however, noted that the company appears to be attracting additional […]

PEOPLE STILL PREFER TO RENT MOVIES ON DISCS

Netflix chief Reed Hastings may be doing all in his power to encourage consumers to forsake disc rentals and switch to streaming video, but a new study by Rentrak indicates that — by a wide margin — consumers still prefer renting standard DVDs and Blu-ray Discs than streaming them online or renting them via video-on-demand […]

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