A hacker, who goes by the name The Dark Overlord, announced the theft of episodes of Orange Is the New Black on Twitter early Saturday. The post included a link to an illegal file-sharing service where purportedly 10 episodes from the series’ upcoming fifth season were available for download. The Associated Press could not legally confirm the authenticity of the uploaded files.
Netflix is gearing up to enter the final major market in the world where it is not currently operating: China. The move is significant considering it gives Netflix access to a country with roughly 450 million viewers and a value of around $14.5 billion. However, Netflix’s entry into China is being conducted through a local company, iQiyi, a streaming video subsidiary of Chinese search giant Baidu.
Netflix has more than 94 million subscribers around the world. But that’s not enough to pay for all the TV shows and movies those subscribers watch. So Netflix is borrowing money, again. The streaming video company says it will raise €1 billion — $1.08 billion — via a debt offering to fund its original content ambitions.
The company will reach that milestone this weekend if its projections are correct. Netflix made the prediction Monday with the release of its first-quarter earnings. The service added nearly 5 million subscribers during the first three months of the year, and will end March with 98.7 million customers in roughly 190 countries.
The longevity of the technology stocks rally is on the line next week as Netflix kicks off the earnings season for a sector that has mushroomed to account for more than a fifth of the U.S. stock market’s value.
Exclusives
CBS and Fox networks have the best multiyear investor outlook, Wall Street research firm MoffettNathanson said in a report for investors today. The report noted that the viewership trends for media companies in the first quarter of 2017 will historically be seen as some of the weakest numbers ever. But the media sector was still “a strong out-performer in the first 100 days of the year,” and MoffettNathanson’s research team raised its EPS estimates for Viacom, 21st Century Fox and Time Warner.
From the beginning of 2017 through April 5, according to iSpot.tv, Hulu has spent $38.3 million in national TV advertising — more than double the $16.2 million it spent over the same time period a year ago. PlayStation Vue has seen its media spend triple this year so far — $37.6 million versus $11.1 million in 2016. Big TV broadcast network spending is generally up as well.
The service is compressing its familiar one-to-five star ratings system for subscribers into a simpler choice of thumbs-up or thumbs-down. The change, first discussed by a Netflix official last month and officially unveiled on Wednesday, is aimed at soliciting more viewer feedback and helping the service make better program recommendations.
NEW YORK (AP) — Orson Welles’ last film finally has a home. Netflix has acquired the global rights to Welles’ “The Other Side of the Wind” and will finance its […]
A survey by the Leichtman Research Group says that 54% of U.S. TV homes have Netflix, versus 53% that have a DVR. This is the first time that TV homes with Netflix (including those sharing Netflix passwords) have topped the time-shifting technology. Six years ago, by way of comparison, 44% of TV households had a DVR and 28% had Netflix.
In the wake of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life‘s runaway success, Netflix has begun exploring the possibility of a second revival. The streamer’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos says that “very preliminary” talks are underway with (presumably) Warner Bros. for more episodes.
The streamer already has upended the original series, stand-up and film businesses; now, with a key new hire and a lofty budget, it’s taking on unscripted. Warns one producer, “These guys are monsters — they’re coming in to play and play hard.”
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Netflix employees were personally affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban people entering from seven Muslim countries, the company’s CEO said Tuesday. Reed Hastings […]
21st Century Fox demands an appellate court move quickly in deciding the legality of its employment agreements with its most senior executives.
Streaming-video viewing of reality television programming is on the rise, according to a new study by 7Park Data. The firm’s newest study of OTT viewership found that reality TV viewing is up 10.3% from one year ago on Hulu and up 28.3% on Netflix — making reality one of the biggest growth genres for the two services.
Stranger Things, Netflix’s supernatural thriller that earned breakout buzz in its freshman season, deprived three-time consecutive winner Downton Abbey of one last trophy for its concluding year. The streaming service claimed a leading four awards as the traditional broadcast networks were shut out, something they’re getting used to.
With Hunted from CBS and Ultimate Beastmaster from Netflix, the outlets are trying something new in a sleepy genre.
CEO Reed Hastings acknowledged that a lack of sports is a big factor preventing his streaming service from matching cable in subscribers.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix’s video streaming service is booming while its steadily shrinking DVD-by-mail business has turned into an afterthought. The company’s latest quarterly report showed the streaming service […]
Continuing its aggressive move into the comedy space, Netflix has signed a deal with Jerry Seinfeld for two stand-up comedy specials as well as exclusive rights to his well-known online show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Here are three, starting with the fact that the field is dominated by four players: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and YouTube, though Amazon is emerging as the real revenue-generating juggernaut among the lot. Sahil Patel notes that TV networks are also finding it worth their while to go directly to consumers now.
Since its first commissioned series House of Cards was released in February 2013, the streaming service has expanded its original (and acquired) programming at a dizzying rate. What began as a steady flow — the Arrested Development reboot a few months later, followed by the premiere of Orange Is the New Black — has turned into a full-blown torrent. But as Netflix’s profile has grown, its once-sharp identity has grown more diffuse.
