Any Netflix users who got their hopes up that maybe the streaming service would follow in Amazon’s footsteps and offer downloadable content that can be watched offline on a mobile device, well, your dreams probably won’t be coming true anytime soon: Neil Hunt, Netflix’s Chief Product Officer says it’s unlikely the company will go the route of offline viewing because adding another choice will just make the whole thing too complicated for users. [More]
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Netflix Won’t Offer Downloadable Content Anytime Soon Because Users Just Couldn’t Handle It
By 9.8.15
Amazon Prime Videos To Finally Be Downloadable On iOS, Android Devices
By 9.1.15
One of the selling points of Amazon Fire tablets — especially for frequent travelers and parents whose kids like to watch movies while riding in the back seat — is that Amazon Prime members can download videos for offline viewing. This option has not been available for Prime members using iOS or non-Amazon Android devices. But now Amazon is giving these members the ability to download movies and shows to watch at their convenience. [More]
Hunger Games, Transformers Movies Will Disappear From Netflix After Company Decides Not To Renew Epix Deal
By 8.31.15
While there’s always plenty of streaming content to watch on the Internet these days, if you’re a fan of Hunger Games or Transformers flicks, better watch them on Netflix now, while you still can: the subscription streaming service says it won’t be renewing its deal with Epix, the cable provider with domestic streaming rights to those movies in the U.S. And in a bit of very interesting timing, Hulu and Epix announced their own deal, one that will stream new releases from a Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount starting October 1. [More]
Time Warner CEO Isn’t Worried About Cable TV’s Fate: “Netflix Is Good, But Not That Good”
By 8.28.15
While cable companies’ investors might be shaking in their boots whenever the word “Netflix” pops up, the streaming video service isn’t the giant slayer it’s been made out to be — at least according to Time Warner Inc. Jeff Bewkes, who says his HBO is better than Netflix. [More]
Hawaii Blocking State Workers From Streaming Video Services To Prevent On-The-Job Binge-Watching
By 8.17.15
Listen, we’re not here to judge you over how many hours you spent locked in a dark, air-conditioned room this weekend in front of a TV emitting a constant stream of entertainment. But once it comes time to go to work, the binge must end. Hawaii is taking steps to make it difficult for state workers to spend too much time on Netflix and Hulu, blocking those services so employees don’t waste time watching Cheers/Doctor Who/Friends from start to finish. [More]
Hulu Doesn’t Want You To Binge-Watch Its New Exclusive Shows
By 8.10.15
If you’re still a bit bleary-eyed because you stayed up late watching all of the Wet Hot American Summer prequel show on Netflix last night, you’re apparently not the target consumer for Hulu, which has announced that its original program will be meted out in weekly portions. [More]
Dish CEO: “Netflix Is The Most Powerful Content Aggregator In The World Today”
By 8.5.15
The first half of 2015 brought us the launch of a whole bunch of new over-the-top streaming TV services, including HBO Now and Dish’s Sling. Now, at the midpoint of the year, all of those earnings reports and investor calls are rolling in and we can start to find out just how popular those services are. Or we could… if executives would talk. Instead, they hem and haw and hedge and make only two things clear. One: cord-cutters are real. And two: when it comes to streaming, Netflix is still the biggest elephant in the room. [More]
This Graph May Explain Why Cable Companies Aren’t Rushing To Get Into Standalone Streaming
By 8.3.15
With pay-TV subscription numbers dropping as people turn to online sources for their entertainment and news, it might seem sensidble that the pay-TV giants would jump into the streaming video business. But with the exception of Dish-owned Sling TV, that hasn’t been the case. That might be because consumers appear to be quite fickle about their use of these standalone services. [More]
Comcast Exec: Netflix Thrives Because Cable Is Too Expensive, Is Company’s “Ultimate Frenemy”
By 7.17.15
This is a weird time to be a cable company. On the one hand, everyone’s watching more content than ever before. And on the other hand, they’re watching cable less than ever before. That’s bad for cable companies, except that cable companies are also broadband companies. The push and pull is a reality almost all of us live in, but it’s something that the cable folks don’t really talk about much. Until they do. [More]
Hulu May Finally Offer Ad-Free Subscription Option, But It Won’t Be Cheap
By 7.17.15
After years of hoping that consumers would eventually come around to the idea of paying for streaming video content that is still interrupted by obnoxious, repetitive commercials, the folks at Hulu may finally be willing to give folks the option of paying for an ad-free version of the service. [More]
Netflix CEO Hints At How He Hopes To Get People To Pay More
By 7.16.15
With HBO successfully charging $15/month for a streaming service and the $11/month sticker price for Showtime’s new online offering, why does Netflix continue to charge as little as $8/month without running ads like Hulu does (for the same rate) or without the huge online retail business to back it like Amazon Prime? [More]
Netflix Is Totally In Favor Of Charter’s Plan To Buy TWC Because It Will Save Them Some Money
By 7.15.15
Netflix is almost 37% of all prime-time internet traffic. ISPs have been known to degrade that traffic until Netflix pays for peering. Netflix really hates having to make (and pay for) those agreements. And so Charter has quickly learned that the quickest way to Netflix’s heart is to promise not to do that. [More]
20% Of Young Adults Are Using Someone Else’s Netflix, HBO Go Passwords
By 7.10.15
Are you piggybacking on the Netflix, HBO Go, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc, account of a friend or family member? A new report claims that you’re part of the 6% of U.S. households that are costing these companies $500 million in revenue this year. [More]
Virgin America Souping Up WiFi System So Passengers Can Stream Video
By 7.8.15
A growing number of planes now allow passengers to connect to onboard WiFi networks (usually for a fee), but the connection is often sluggish and sometimes unreliable; it’s rarely good enough to stream video dependably. Virgin America hopes its upgraded inflight WiFi will solve that problem. [More]
Chicago Residents Now Stuck With A New 9% “Cloud Tax” On Netflix And Other Streaming Services
By 7.1.15
There used to be a whole world of brick-and-mortar retail stores and transactions a city could gather some sales tax from and build into a revenue stream. As more and more goods instead become online services, though, those streams have dried up. Now one city wants to go back to gathering its cash… from your transactions in the cloud. [More]
Hulu Playing Nice With Broadcasters In Battle To Beat Netflix
By 6.17.15
For years, Hulu has lingered in the shadow of Netflix, and has had some trouble convincing consumers to pay $8/month for access to shows that still have commercials in them, when neither Netflix nor Amazon Prime insert ad breaks into their videos. But the service has recently begun playing nice with the very networks that have an ownership stake in the company in order to win access to better content. [More]
Some Marriott Hotels Will Offer Guests Access To Netflix On Room TVs
By 6.10.15
Because not everyone wants to watch programming on a laptop or tablet while they’re away from home, Marriott Hotels has partnered with Netflix to offer access to the streaming service on room TVs to guests staying at certain Marriott locations. [More]
