Julianne Pepitone, for CNNMoney: “We did so many difficult things this year that we got overconfident,” Hastings said. “Our big obsession for the year was streaming, the idea that ‘let’s not die with DVDs.’” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ comments came … Continued
Netflix
∞ Netflix loses 800,000 subscribers
GigaOM: Netflix’s subscriber attrition in the wake of a price hike and separation of its streaming and DVD businesses is even greater than first thought. The company ended the quarter with 23.8 million subscribers in the third quarter, which is … Continued
∞ Netflix punts on Qwikster service
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings indicates the company will not be launching a new Qwikster DVD distribution service after all. He explains the decision in a new blog post at Netflix.com. Hastings raised the ire of customers and investors alike several … Continued
∞ Survey: Qwikster name doesn't resonate with consumers
Erik Sherman, for BNet: …according to a quick survey done of 500 consumers by brand naming company Strategic Name Development, Netflix may have stepped into one of the worst muck holes it could have: blowing the name of its DVD … Continued
∞ Where Netflix screwed up
Dan Frommer: It communicated change poorly, again. It made customers feel like they weren’t Netflix’s priority, which is unusual for Netflix. Okay, so Netflix may not communicate well, but I have no problem with what they did.
∞ Netflix rebrands DVD service Qwikster
Netflix will soon call its DVD mailing service Qwikster and will branch out to video game rentals. The revelation comes from Reed Hastings, the service’s decidedly more contrite co-founder and CEO, who sent out an e-mail to subscribers entitled “An Explanation … Continued
∞ Netflix cuts subscriber guidance by 1 million
Peter Kafka: Netflix, which instituted a price hike earlier this fall, says the higher costs are turning off more customers than it expected. The video rental company has cut its third quarter U.S. subscriber projections from 25 million subscribers to … Continued
∞ Netflix CEO on Starz departure
BusinessInsider: Because we’ve licensed so much other great content, Starz content is now down to about 8% of domestic Netflix subscribers’ viewing. As we add a huge more content in Q4, we expect Starz content to naturally drift down to … Continued
∞ Netflix loses Starz streaming
Bloomberg: Starz LLC, the premium cable channel controlled by billionaire John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp., said it ended contract renewal talks with Netflix Inc. (NFLX) after failing to come to terms. Netflix shares fell. Terrible news. I watched a lot … Continued
∞ Netflix vs. Hulu: Survey says
Macworld: Nearly nine of 10 Hulu subscribers watch streaming TV shows and movies on a computer, but only 42 percent of Netflix users do, according to a recent Nielsen survey. And while nearly three-fourths of Hulu subscribers watch mostly TV … Continued
∞ New pricing plans for Netflix
Last November when we launched our $7.99 unlimited streaming plan, DVDs by mail was treated as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan. At the time, we didn’t anticipate offering DVD only plans. Since then we have realized … Continued
∞ Netflix is awesome, Hulu sucks
I could probably just leave you with that headline and be done with the story, but I’ll give you a little bit on context.
∞ TiVo releases iPad app, but only for Premiere boxes
TiVo announced on its blog that its TiVo Premiere app is now available from the App Store. The software lets you control your TiVo digital video recorder (DVR) using an iPad, but only works with TiVo’s new Premiere devices, not … Continued
∞ Amazon, Netflix, Apple among top picks in customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction among the top 40 online retailers dropped 1 percent in 2010 to 78 out of 100, but some of the biggest names in the business still saw good ratings from its customers.
∞ Apple expects to sell one millionth new Apple TV this week
It appears that the Apple TV is a “hobby” no longer. Apple announced Tuesday that it expects sales of its recently redesigned Apple TV to top one million units later this week.
∞ Apple TVs ship, scheduled to arrive on Friday
Apple has begun shipping the new Apple TV, meeting its loose deadline of having the units to customers at the end of September.
∞ Microsoft co-founder sues Apple, Google, Facebook, others
Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, is taking on Silicon Valley in a patent lawsuit filed last week.
∞ HBO to offer subscribers free streaming service on iPad
Subscribers of HBO will soon have the opportunity to watch the channel’s shows on their iPad, according to a new report.