Editor’s Note: Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC)
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is a fast-growing company where every new subscriber adds to the bottom line in a big way. If you build a great service, the subscribers will come. When they come, you can afford to build and buy even more and better content. CEO Reed Hastings calls this a “virtuous cycle” that’s driving subscriber growth higher. But not everyone agrees. Many critics would say that Netflix grew crazy fast in the first few years of streaming services because there was no competition to speak of. Not only did the company lack competition for subscriber eyeballs and dollars, but there was nobody else bidding against Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) on new content deals.
Cablevision CEO Reveals He Gets A Regular Netflix Fix (World Internet TV on PC)
The ever-growing success of online streaming will always have a percentage of people they cannot reach on account of poor signal and/or a continuing belief in traditional methods, but surprisingly, one of the people whose job currently depends on such an anti-streaming stance is not a part of that group. Holding a rare interview, James Dolan, the CEO of 40-year-old cable TV providers Cablevision (operating primarily in the north-east of the USA, and are the 8th-largest provider in their country), announced that he was a regular viewer of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), and regularly chooses it over watching cable. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Dolan claimed that he believes future of television could well be online, and that there ‘might come a day’ when his company makes a transition to streaming services only, an almost unthinkable prospect going by their current name.
Netflix ventures into historical dramas with Marco Polo (GigaOM)
Political intrigue, banana stands and… battle scenes? Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has picked up yet another original series, and this time, the company is venturing deep into the historical drama territory: TV Guide is reporting that Netflix has bought the rights to Marco Polo, a historical drama that chronicles the adventures of the famous explorer in 13th-century China (hat tip to the Verge). Marco Polo was originally commissioned by Starz, but the project apparently stalled at the cable network, in part because it turned out to be more challenging than anticipated to film the whole thing in China, according to the Hollywood Reporter. That’s why the movie will now likely be filmed elsewhere.
Netflix: Buy, sell or hold? (CNBC)
Netflix allows 5 viewing profiles on same account (10News)
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s latest attraction will enable families and other people sharing the same account to set up separate identities so the Internet video service can give them better recommendations on what to watch next. The tool introduced Thursday can splinter a single Netflix account into up to five different profiles at no additional cost from the service’s $8 monthly fee. The Los Gatos, Calif., company is hoping its 37.6 million worldwide subscribers will use the profiles feature and help Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s recommendation system distinguish between viewers who have drastically different tastes.
NETFLIX SERIES ‘OITNB’ IS PIONEERING SOCIAL ACTIVISM ON TV (Bustle)
Last weekend, Piper Kerman (the real life Piper Chapman) appeared along with Orange Is the New Black actors on Melissa Harris-Perry’s show on MSNBC to discuss the realities of prison life and the relevance of the issues faced by characters in the show. Their interview, which covers topics ranging from the maltreatment of transgender individuals to a crumbling mental healthcare system, isn’t just revealing of television’s potential to make real social change — it also makes it impossible to ignore the huge impact that a woman’s true story can make when it isn’t diluted into an overdramatic, made-for-TV movie. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s Orange Is the New Black was not marketed well: the show’s original trailer was a blend of emotional one-liners and triumphant Rilo Kiley music that made it come off as an over-extended Lifetime drama about biracial friendships and self-discovery.
