Netflix published it’s third quarter numbers yesterday, and beat expectations with a revenue of $1.11 billion. It also added 1.3 million new domestic subscribers, which brings its total subscriber-base to 31.1 million, up and over rival HBO. It’s stock, as well, is up to record highs, increasing in value to $352 per share. And it’s up even more in trading from after hours yesterday and today. It’s not just successful in the US, however. The streaming company has increased expansion in Latin America, the UK, and the Netherlands. In addition, Netflix is pumping more money into original content after signing a deal with Marvel, and committing to more seasons of its award-winning shows, Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
Tag: netflix
Netflix Set-Top Box A Reality?
Netflix is getting help in its attempt to break into the set-top box market in the United States from TiVo. Although Netflix has been met with resistance in the U.S. in its attempts to bring its type of streaming to set-top boxes, TiVo has stood with Netflix firmly through the many challenges. TiVo customers rely on set-top boxes, and TiVo’s desire to bring Netflix into their hardware fold means that for customers with providers like COX Communications, Netflix could soon come embedded within the hardware. If Netflix is indeed successful in breaking into the set-top box market, it could mark a beginning in a new era of streaming.
Netflix Begins Talks with Cable Providers
Netflix has begun talks with American cable providers in an effort to integrate with their set top boxes. If they manage to ink a deal with major American television providers, it would mark a major change in thinking about mainstream media dominance, showing Netflix to be such a major player that it can no longer be ignored. U.K. provider Virgin Media recently announced a partnership with Netflix that will allow its customers to search for Netflix shows seamlessly within the standard cable channel browser. Netflix’s positioning as a lower-cost alternative to cable television has made it a clear and present danger to cable providers all over the world, and teaming up could allow traditional providers to maintain some relevance as television viewing shifts more and more online and on-demand.
Amazon Pitches YouTube Networks
In a move that takes it into direct competition with Youtube, Amazon is pitching YouTube networks that produce short-form videos for the digital video leader. From the producers’ perspective, it would expand their viewership numbers, and it would open up a pay-per-video revenue stream. They would also receive branded pages on Amazon that would promote their videos, much like a show page on Hulu or a Channel on YouTube. The ultimate goal is to be able to market these videos to people searching for the products the videos are about; for instance, if I’m looking for a video game, a review video might pop up in my search results on Amazon. It’s a potent possibility, and if it pans out it could mean true competition with YouTube.
Netflix Rolls Out SuperHD
All Netflix members now, regardless of their ISP, will have access to the highest quality HD streams that are available to Netflix. It means that those with smart TV’s or other methods of streaming – e.g. through Xbox, Roku, etc. – are going to be able to enjoy the full potential of their technology in conjunction with Netflix. It came on the heels of a study, done by Netflix, that revealed that ISP’s across the board were able to support the service. It works through something called “adaptive streaming,” to dynamically adjust video quality based on available bandwidth. Obviously, those with a direct connection to Netflix will have better service, but ideally it should work well for all parties.
House Of Cards Makes TV History
Netflix’s flagship series, House Of Cards, earned itself a Best Director Emmy last night for David Fincher, and simultaneously made history as it was the first time a major category award went to an online video provider. It adds a sense of legitimacy for Netflix, who will continue to look for feature material in Hollywood. The award makes Netflix a legitimate competitor with the traditional networks, and lends credibility to its model: making the complete show available all at once. Clearly, breaking out from the TV-channel model has done wonders for Netflix, and it now has the awards to prove it. It will force – and at least in part already forced – technologically-savvy advertisers to reconsider their models.
Oyster Is The Netflix Of E-Books
Oyster’s web launch yesterday proved that a Netflix-type rental system for books is indeed possible. It offers a well-designed app interface, books that users are often looking for, in unlimited supply, for a reasonable price point of $9.95 per month. Founded by former Google and Microsoft employees, the iPhone app launched with over 100,000 in-copyright books. Though some of the “hot best-sellers” might not make the cut – those books are doing anything and everything they can to make the most profit that they can – you’ll still find books you’ve heard of, from publishers you know. Whether this is a sustainable model is to be determined, but what’s for sure is that users are clamoring for this model across many mediums.
Netflix Adds My List Queue
As part of its continued effort to make streaming video service more personalized, Netflix introduced “My List,” a feature that provides a new way for users to save a list of movies and TV shows to watch later. It’s designed to correct the common act of stumbling onto a film that one might want to watch, but not presently. In that case, the subscriber can now just click ‘Add To My List,’ and it will be added to a group of titles to be watched later. The idea is is a lineage of the DVD queue, when subscribers would have a list of DVDs to be mailed next; Netflix tried to mimic this model with the Instant Queue, but it wasn’t quite as effective and ultimately didn’t serve the same function. It seems as though “My List” finally gets back to that functionality – with potential future social features built in.
Netflix Introduces User Profiles
It’s a common problem–there are three or four people sharing one Netflix account, so the suggestions become a mashup of many tastes. Netflix addressed this with profiles, and now multiple users of the same account can create their own page – with the goal being to give the individual a more tailored selection of viewing options. According to Netflix’s internal research, members of the same household are the most likely to share a Netflix account, which is the worst possible scenario for algorithmic suggestions; children’s shows mixed with action movies and dramas yields mixed recommendation results. What’s more, suggestions are now social, with Facebook integration now baked into the profile system. It means a more individually – and socially – curated Netflix account for everybody.
One in Five Netflix Subscribers Cancel Paid-TV Subscriptions
20% of Netflix subscribers have gotten rid of their pay TV subscription, according to a June 2013 study from Cowen and Company. The question to ask now is whether more Netflix subscribers will also cut the cord. Typically associated with those in the youngest age bracket, cord-cutting in this study was quite high in the older, 30-44 y/o category, with 41% having cut Pay TV – perhaps signaling a paradigm shift away from paid TV subscriptions overall. Those between 45 and 60 years old were most likely to be Netflix Streaming customers, but only 17% of this group have cut the cord. The majority of Netflix streamers use the service on their PC, followed by streaming on a video game console, while 37% stream on tablets, indicative of their growing role in digital video viewing.
