As we reported back in June, Sears would be launching a video download service sometime around the holidays. Well, the holidays are here and so is the service. [More]
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Blockbuster Express Agrees To 28-Day Delay On New Warner Bros. Releases
By 12.16.10
While bankrupt video chain Blockbuster Video is spending millions on TV ads to trumpet its immediate access to new releases, the folks behind the Blockbuster Express rental kiosks have made a deal with Warner Bros. and other studios to delay renting new titles by 28 days. [More]
Time Warner CEO Is Talking $#!% About Netflix
By 12.13.10
Who isn’t scared of Netflix? Jeffrey L. Bewkes, the chief executive of Time Warner, that’s who. The NYT says that although Netflix has been a successful business partner to the major studios for the past few years — the deals are expiring and they won’t get such an easy ride next time. [More]
Movie Studios Blocking Special Features On Rental DVDs
By 12.9.10
In an apparent effort to give customers a reason to buy DVDs instead of renting them, movie studios have begun disabling certain features of new releases on discs rented out by Blockbuster and Netflix. [More]
Comcast's Letter To The FCC About Netflix Tollgate
By 12.2.10
Here is the letter Comcast sent the FCC after eyebrows were raised when Level 3 accused the cable company of setting up a effective tollgate to collect fees when L3 tried to deliver Netflix content to Comcast customers. [More]
Report: Netflix Offering Big Cash For Access To In-Season TV Shows
By 12.2.10
While Netflix has made a huge move in the last two years to expand its library of streaming movies and TV shows, the company has only been able to make a few deals that give users access to recently broadcast episodes. But a report in the New York Post claims Netflix is offering networks top-dollar for access to fresher content. [More]
Comcast Charges Toll For Netflix Delivery
By 11.30.10
The largest broadband backbone provider in the world says Comcast has set up a tollbooth, charging it a fee to deliver Netflix content to Comcast customers. “This action by Comcast threatens the open Internet and is a clear abuse of the dominant control that Comcast exerts in broadband access,” said Level 3 in a statement. [More]
Your Clever Netflix Plan Vs Reality
By 11.22.10
You get on the Netflix plan thinking you’ve scored such a great deal. Unlimited movies per month! By the time I’m done plundering the cinema archives, I’ll be only paying cents a film! Take that, movie theater and rental store! But then slowly your interest wanes as the novelty wears off. Soon that early Bergman flick is collecting dust and you realize you’re paying a monthly fee for a red and white coffee coaster… [More]
Netflix Offers $7.99 Streaming-Only Plan, Raises Prices On Existing Plans
By 11.22.10
Since Netflix began offering its streaming video library, many customers have been asking for an option to go disc-free. Today, they got what they wished for as the company announced a $7.99/month plan for streaming-only. On the down side, they are also raising rates on those with existing unlimited disc-and-streaming plans. [More]
Blockbuster To Waste $15-20 Million On TV Ads
By 11.18.10
Bankrupt relic of a bygone time, Blockbuster Video, announced plans yesterday to launch its first national TV ad campaign since 2007 and that they plan on somehow taking aim at Redbox and Netflix. [More]
Hulu Plus Drops Price To $7.99/Month
By 11.17.10
After kicking around in invite-only mode since the summer at the price of $9.99/month, Hulu’s premium service Hulu Plus went live for all interested parties today — and at two dollars per month less. [More]
Netflix Has Another Streaming Outage, Apologizes With Credits
By 11.11.10
On Tuesday night Netflix suffered another temporary streaming outage. This late afternoon they once again apologized by sending out customers an email offering a 2-3% reduction off their bill or an extension of their free trial. You’ll have to click on the link in the email to claim the credit. Hey, if Netflix keeps going at this rate, soon we’ll end up with a free month! [More]
Netfix Has No Plans To Put Ads In Streaming Videos
By 11.9.10
TV shows now represent half of what Netflix customers are streaming to their computers, gaming consoles and other devices. It has to be tempting for the company to look at those numbers and think about the cash it could make from slipping a few 15-second ads in during the already existing fade-outs. But, says a Netflix exec, that’s not what the company is all about. [More]
Warner Bros. Considering Longer Delay For New Releases On Netflix
By 11.3.10
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. was one of the first home video companies to make a deal with Netflix that would delay the availability of new releases by 28 days in exchange for greater access to Warner’s catalog. Now the company says it is mulling over the possibility of making that delay even longer. [More]
Now You Can Finally Search Netflix On Xbox 360
By 11.2.10
The Xbox 360 was the first video game console to allow Netflix subscribers to stream movies to their TV, but while the the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii have recently improved their Netflix apps, the Xbox remained stuck in 2008. That is, until yesterday’s update of the console’s software. [More]
Netflix Apologizes For Brief Outage, Offers Bill Credit
By 10.25.10
As we mentioned in a recent story, Netflix experienced a crash to its site and streaming services on Friday. Over the weekend, the company not only sent out an apology e-mail to customers, it also offered a small credit to their monthly bill. [More]
Report: Netflix Accounts For Up To 20% Of Downstream Bandwidth In U.S.
By 10.21.10
If you needed anymore convincing that streaming video is now a big deal for Netflix, a new study says that, during certain parts of the day, streams from Netflix account for around 1/5 of the downstream traffic in the U.S. [More]
Netflix Now Considers Itself A Streaming Company That Happens To Also Mail DVDs
By 10.21.10
Netflix is now an online content streaming company that has a nice little side business in mailing DVDs, according to CEO Reed Hastings. [More]
