Can we ever get enough of the British royals and their stories?&nbsp;

To keep us hooked on the mania, Netflix has just dropped a short trailer for&nbsp;Season 2 of their drama series The Crown. In the short trailer, you can see Queen Elizabeth II 10 years into her reign as the monarch and her struggles to keep up with her marriage to Prince Philip. She is trying to contain the rebellious nature of her younger sister, Princess Margaret while keeping a check on a number of prime ministers.&nbsp;

There are also some new faces including&nbsp;Matthew Goode&nbsp;who plays Margaret&rsquo;s husband,&nbsp;Michael C. Hall and Jodi Balfour as John and Jackie Kennedy.

The Crown&#39;s second season premieres on Netflix on December 8.&nbsp;

<h2>Watch the trailer:</h2>

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k15O_eBfUuk" width="970"></iframe>

(WION)

It continues to feed our interest with the British royals and their stories

Can we ever get enough of the British royals and their stories? To keep us hooked on the mania, Netflix has just dropped a short trailer for Season 2 of their drama series The Crown. In the short trailer, you can see Queen Elizabeth II 10 years into her reign as the monarch and her struggles to keep up with her marriage to Prince Philip. She is trying to contain the rebellious nature of her younger sister, Princess Margaret while keeping a check on a number of prime ministers. There are also some new faces including Matthew Goode who plays Margaret’s husband, Michael C. Hall and Jodi Balfour as John and Jackie Kennedy. The Crown's second season premieres on Netflix on December 8. Watch the trailer: (WION)

Watch: Netflix releases trailer for Season 2 of The Crown

Streaming service Netflix has acquired the rights to stream one of the highest grossing Indian epics - &quot;Baahubali: The Beginning&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;Baahubali 2: The Conclusion&quot;.

The streaming service has acquired the movie rights for $4 million (around Rs 25.5 crore).&nbsp;

Netflix, a recent entrant to the Indian market is quite keen on doubling its investment in India. &nbsp;

&ldquo;On the content front we are doubling down on Indian investment to curate a compelling content library encompassing original and licensed titles. We are touching a pool of consumers with a great passion for diverse entertainment, offering global originals like Narcos, Stranger Things, The Crown and mainstream, star-driven Indian films that have wide appeal (eg&nbsp;our Shah Rukh Khan titles or recent acquisitions of top ones like &quot;Dangal&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;Baahubali&quot;),&quot; said Jessica Lee, vice-president (communications), Netflix.

Shobu Yarlagadda, co-founder and CEO of Arka Mediaworks, the company that produced the SS Rajamouli&#39;s &quot;Baahubali&quot;, expressed her excitement on partnering with Netflix.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Netflix is very bullish about the India market and is here for the long term. It is looking to acquire both licensed content and make originals but won&rsquo;t lap up everything,&rdquo; said Shobu Yarlagadda.

&ldquo;We are very happy and excited to partner with Netflix. Theatrically, its not possible to reach all markets, but with this deal Baahubali will reach 192 countries seamlessly,&rdquo; she added.

&quot;Baahubali 2&quot;&nbsp;was the first ever Indian film to gross over Rs 1,000 crore.

&nbsp;

Netflix, a recent entrant in the Indian market is quite keen on doubling its investment in India

Streaming service Netflix has acquired the rights to stream one of the highest grossing Indian epics - "Baahubali: The Beginning" and "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion". The streaming service has acquired the movie rights for $4 million (around Rs 25.5 crore). Netflix, a recent entrant to the Indian market is quite keen on doubling its investment in India. “On the content front we are doubling down on Indian investment to curate a compelling content library encompassing original and licensed titles. We are touching a pool of consumers with a great passion for diverse entertainment, offering global originals like Narcos, Stranger Things, The Crown and mainstream, star-driven Indian films that have wide appeal (eg our Shah Rukh Khan titles or recent acquisitions of top ones like "Dangal" and "Baahubali")," said Jessica Lee, vice-president (communications), Netflix. Shobu Yarlagadda, co-founder and CEO of Arka Mediaworks, the company that produced the SS Rajamouli's "Baahubali", expressed her excitement on partnering with Netflix. “Netflix is very bullish about the India market and is here for the long term. It is looking to acquire both licensed content and make originals but won’t lap up everything,” said Shobu Yarlagadda. “We are very happy and excited to partner with Netflix. Theatrically, its not possible to reach all markets, but with this deal Baahubali will reach 192 countries seamlessly,” she added. "Baahubali 2" was the first ever Indian film to gross over Rs 1,000 crore.

Netflix acquires rights to stream 'Baahubali' series for Rs 25.5 crore

In what may come as a shocker to Netflix-Disney fans, you might not be able to stream any Disney movies on Netflix for long.&nbsp;

According to a statement issued by&nbsp;Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company: &quot;Disney will end its distribution agreement with Netflix for subscription streaming of new releases, beginning with the 2019 calendar year theatrical slate.&quot;

Justifying the move, it said: &quot;The media landscape is increasingly defined by direct relationships between content creators and consumers, and our control of BAMTech&#39;s full array of innovative technology will give us the power to forge those connections, along with the flexibility to quickly adapt to shifts in the market. This acquisition and the launch of our direct-to-consumer services mark an entirely new growth strategy for the Company, one that takes advantage of the incredible opportunity that changing technology provides us to leverage the strength of our great brands.&quot;

The media giant plans to launch an&nbsp;ESPN-branded multi-sport video streaming service in early 2018 and also a new Disney-branded streaming service that will be rolled out in 2019.

Disney confirmed that like its competitors,&nbsp;it will make &quot;significant investment&quot; in its original movies, TV shows and short-form content, adding that the service will feature the brand&#39;s vast and lengthy library of content, including Disney and Pixar movies and Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD television programming.

According to a statement on the Walt Disney Company&#39;s website, &quot;The new Disney-branded service will become the exclusive home in the US for subscription-video-on-demand viewing of the newest live action and animated movies from Disney and Pixar, beginning with the 2019 theatrical slate, which includes Toy Story 4, the sequel to Frozen, and The Lion King from Disney live-action, along with other highly anticipated movies.&quot;

This move could prove to be a big blow for Netflix while spelling some trouble for others in the market like HBO Go, Amazon Prime and etc.&nbsp;

(WION)

They will have a Disney branded streaming service in 2019

In what may come as a shocker to Netflix-Disney fans, you might not be able to stream any Disney movies on Netflix for long. According to a statement issued by Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company: "Disney will end its distribution agreement with Netflix for subscription streaming of new releases, beginning with the 2019 calendar year theatrical slate." Justifying the move, it said: "The media landscape is increasingly defined by direct relationships between content creators and consumers, and our control of BAMTech's full array of innovative technology will give us the power to forge those connections, along with the flexibility to quickly adapt to shifts in the market. This acquisition and the launch of our direct-to-consumer services mark an entirely new growth strategy for the Company, one that takes advantage of the incredible opportunity that changing technology provides us to leverage the strength of our great brands." The media giant plans to launch an ESPN-branded multi-sport video streaming service in early 2018 and also a new Disney-branded streaming service that will be rolled out in 2019. Disney confirmed that like its competitors, it will make "significant investment" in its original movies, TV shows and short-form content, adding that the service will feature the brand's vast and lengthy library of content, including Disney and Pixar movies and Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD television programming. According to a statement on the Walt Disney Company's website, "The new Disney-branded service will become the exclusive home in the US for subscription-video-on-demand viewing of the newest live action and animated movies from Disney and Pixar, beginning with the 2019 theatrical slate, which includes Toy Story 4, the sequel to Frozen, and The Lion King from Disney live-action, along with other highly anticipated movies." This move could prove to be a big blow for Netflix while spelling some trouble for others in the market like HBO Go, Amazon Prime and etc. (WION)

Disney ends partnership with Netflix, to launch its own streaming service

Saif Ali Khan will make his Netflix debut with an original series &quot;Sacred Games&quot;&nbsp;based on author Vikram Chandra&#39;s best-selling&nbsp;novel by the same name. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sacred Games will be produced in partnership with Phantom Films and will be shot in India.&nbsp;It will be available to the streaming giant&#39;s 100 million members in over 190 countries.&nbsp;

The vice president of Netflix, Erik Barmack, expressed&nbsp;his&nbsp;delight&nbsp;at having Saif Ali Khan on board for the series.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Saif Ali Khan is a true pioneer and risk-taker in Indian cinema, and we could not be more delighted to be working with him on Sacred Games,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;He said Saif&#39;s role in the series is complex and layered.

The story weaves itself around Mumbai&#39;s intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage.&nbsp;

Saif himself said he was extremely satisfied to be part of the first original series from India to be aired on Netflix.

He also lauded the company, saying &quot;the crown in the digital empire lies with Netflix&quot;.&nbsp;

Saif's role in the series is described as complex and layered

Saif Ali Khan will make his Netflix debut with an original series "Sacred Games" based on author Vikram Chandra's best-selling novel by the same name. Sacred Games will be produced in partnership with Phantom Films and will be shot in India. It will be available to the streaming giant's 100 million members in over 190 countries. The vice president of Netflix, Erik Barmack, expressed his delight at having Saif Ali Khan on board for the series. “Saif Ali Khan is a true pioneer and risk-taker in Indian cinema, and we could not be more delighted to be working with him on Sacred Games,” he said. He said Saif's role in the series is complex and layered. The story weaves itself around Mumbai's intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage. Saif himself said he was extremely satisfied to be part of the first original series from India to be aired on Netflix. He also lauded the company, saying "the crown in the digital empire lies with Netflix".

Saif Ali Khan to play lead in Netflix original series 'Sacred Games'

More than one-fifth of young adults who stream shows like &quot;Game of Thrones&quot; or &quot;Stranger Things&quot; borrow passwords from people who do not live with them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a finding that suggests media companies are missing out on significant revenue as digital viewership explodes.

Twenty-one per cent of streaming viewers ages 18 to 24 said they had accessed at least one digital video service such as Netflix, HBO Now or Hulu by using log-in credentials from someone outside their household at some time. Overall, 12 per cent of adults said they did the same thing.

Subscription revenue is likely to come under scrutiny starting next week when TV industry players will begin reporting quarterly earnings. Netflix, the dominant streaming service, releases its results on Monday.

Up to now, Netflix and other streaming networks have accepted some password-sharing, but they may face pressure from investors to change course if new sign-ups slow substantially, Wall Street analysts said.

Revenue growth at Netflix is projected to drop from 31 per cent in this year&#39;s second quarter to 19 per cent in the second quarter of next year, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

&quot;If Netflix goes from a 30 per cent revenue growth story to a 10 per cent story, there is absolutely going to be more focus on their leaving money on the table,&quot; said Justin Patterson, an analyst with Raymond James.&nbsp;

Netflix declined to comment.

Respondents to the Reuters/Ipsos survey said they borrow passwords to save money on video subscriptions, which can be cheap on their own but add up with multiple services.

Donielle Bradshaw, a live-in nanny in Smyrna, Georgia, said she uses her 28-year-old sister&rsquo;s password for Hulu, and her 32-year-old brother&rsquo;s password for Netflix.

&quot;I feel like since we are family, it&rsquo;s OK,&quot; said the 22-year-old Bradshaw, who estimates she watches four hours of shows on weeknights and 10 hours a day on weekends.

If companies cracked down on password sharing, Bradshaw said she would be willing to pay for her own Netflix subscription but is not sure about Hulu, which is owned by several media companies.

&quot;I binge a lot of shows on Netflix. I don&rsquo;t think I could do without it,&quot; she said.

Companies say they accept some sharing as a way to promote their programming to potential customers, but they also take steps to curtail blatant freeloading.

Many networks limit the number of people who can watch programming at the same time. Netflix, for example, allows two to four simultaneous streams per subscription, depending on the plan, and charges more for the higher number of streams.

HBO, a unit of Time Warner, actually encourages younger viewers to use its HBO Now and HBO Go services for free by offering it to about 100 US colleges and universities.&nbsp;

&quot;For us it&rsquo;s more important that at that age where they are not financially independent quite yet, they are habituating to using the product to ultimately aspiring to becoming paid customers,&quot; Bernadette Aulestia, executive vice president of global distribution, said in an interview.

Netflix executives also have said they know some viewers share passwords.

&quot;We could crack down on it, but you wouldn&#39;t suddenly turn all those folks to paid users,&quot; Netflix Chief Financial Officer David Wells said at a Goldman Sachs conference last September.

Missing a chance

Industry analysts say companies are missing a chance to grow revenue. An analysis by Parks Associates estimated streaming providers will lose $550 million in 2019 from password sharing.

&quot;There has been this kind of cavalier attitude about it,&quot; Parks Associates analyst Glenn Hower said. &quot;It hasn&#39;t been a priority.&quot;

Companies could crack down if they want. Cisco Systems, for example, sells products that can detect abnormal activity on an account such as an unusual time or place, said Conrad Clemson, Cisco&#39;s senior vice president and general manager of service provider platforms and applications.

Cisco&#39;s customers, which include streaming services and pay TV distributors, decide whether to use the information simply for monitoring or take additional steps such as sending a warning to account holders or shutting down an account, he said.

&quot;A lot of service providers and content providers are very much in the experimental phase right now,&quot; he said.

Streaming providers say they do track account use but have provided few specifics.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States from June 8 to June 26. It gathered responses from 4,453 adults, including 3,557 people who said they streamed video from their cable TV provider or from standalone services like Amazon Prime, Hulu or Netflix. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2 percentage points.

Subscription revenue is likely to come under scrutiny starting next week when TV industry players will begin reporting quarterly earnings.

More than one-fifth of young adults who stream shows like "Game of Thrones" or "Stranger Things" borrow passwords from people who do not live with them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a finding that suggests media companies are missing out on significant revenue as digital viewership explodes. Twenty-one per cent of streaming viewers ages 18 to 24 said they had accessed at least one digital video service such as Netflix, HBO Now or Hulu by using log-in credentials from someone outside their household at some time. Overall, 12 per cent of adults said they did the same thing. Subscription revenue is likely to come under scrutiny starting next week when TV industry players will begin reporting quarterly earnings. Netflix, the dominant streaming service, releases its results on Monday. Up to now, Netflix and other streaming networks have accepted some password-sharing, but they may face pressure from investors to change course if new sign-ups slow substantially, Wall Street analysts said. Revenue growth at Netflix is projected to drop from 31 per cent in this year's second quarter to 19 per cent in the second quarter of next year, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. "If Netflix goes from a 30 per cent revenue growth story to a 10 per cent story, there is absolutely going to be more focus on their leaving money on the table," said Justin Patterson, an analyst with Raymond James. Netflix declined to comment. Respondents to the Reuters/Ipsos survey said they borrow passwords to save money on video subscriptions, which can be cheap on their own but add up with multiple services. Donielle Bradshaw, a live-in nanny in Smyrna, Georgia, said she uses her 28-year-old sister’s password for Hulu, and her 32-year-old brother’s password for Netflix. "I feel like since we are family, it’s OK," said the 22-year-old Bradshaw, who estimates she watches four hours of shows on weeknights and 10 hours a day on weekends. If companies cracked down on password sharing, Bradshaw said she would be willing to pay for her own Netflix subscription but is not sure about Hulu, which is owned by several media companies. "I binge a lot of shows on Netflix. I don’t think I could do without it," she said. Companies say they accept some sharing as a way to promote their programming to potential customers, but they also take steps to curtail blatant freeloading. Many networks limit the number of people who can watch programming at the same time. Netflix, for example, allows two to four simultaneous streams per subscription, depending on the plan, and charges more for the higher number of streams. HBO, a unit of Time Warner, actually encourages younger viewers to use its HBO Now and HBO Go services for free by offering it to about 100 US colleges and universities. "For us it’s more important that at that age where they are not financially independent quite yet, they are habituating to using the product to ultimately aspiring to becoming paid customers," Bernadette Aulestia, executive vice president of global distribution, said in an interview. Netflix executives also have said they know some viewers share passwords. "We could crack down on it, but you wouldn't suddenly turn all those folks to paid users," Netflix Chief Financial Officer David Wells said at a Goldman Sachs conference last September. Missing a chance Industry analysts say companies are missing a chance to grow revenue. An analysis by Parks Associates estimated streaming providers will lose $550 million in 2019 from password sharing. "There has been this kind of cavalier attitude about it," Parks Associates analyst Glenn Hower said. "It hasn't been a priority." Companies could crack down if they want. Cisco Systems, for example, sells products that can detect abnormal activity on an account such as an unusual time or place, said Conrad Clemson, Cisco's senior vice president and general manager of service provider platforms and applications. Cisco's customers, which include streaming services and pay TV distributors, decide whether to use the information simply for monitoring or take additional steps such as sending a warning to account holders or shutting down an account, he said. "A lot of service providers and content providers are very much in the experimental phase right now," he said. Streaming providers say they do track account use but have provided few specifics. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States from June 8 to June 26. It gathered responses from 4,453 adults, including 3,557 people who said they streamed video from their cable TV provider or from standalone services like Amazon Prime, Hulu or Netflix. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2 percentage points.

20 per cent viewers borrow passwords of streaming services: Poll

For those of you who follow House of Cards, an&nbsp;American political drama web television series, there&#39;s good news.

Netflix recently announced the release of its fifth season. Like other times, Netflix is out with all 13 episodes of the new series.&nbsp;

It is being suggested that the corrupt power couple&nbsp;President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and First Lady Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) will be reunite after being at odd for almost all four seasons.&nbsp;

The trailer of the show was released earlier this month. Watch it here:&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UW8Zyt8SF_U" width="970"></iframe>

(WION)

The 5th episode is expected to see the coming together of power characters, Frank and Claire

For those of you who follow House of Cards, an American political drama web television series, there's good news. Netflix recently announced the release of its fifth season. Like other times, Netflix is out with all 13 episodes of the new series. It is being suggested that the corrupt power couple President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and First Lady Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) will be reunite after being at odd for almost all four seasons. The trailer of the show was released earlier this month. Watch it here: (WION)

House of Cards is back on Netflix with a new season

Cannes jury chief Pedro Almodovar fired a warning shot at streaming giant Netflix declaring that the film that wins the festival&#39;s top prize should be shown in cinemas.

The online giant has refused to show two of its movies in the running for the Palme d&#39;Or in French cinemas because strict rules there mean it would then have to wait three years to put them online.&nbsp;

Spanish director Almodovar told reporters at Cannes that it would be &quot;an enormous paradox if the Palme d&#39;Or went to a film that cannot be seen in cinemas&quot;.

Netflix, which streams films and television shows to subscribers, has two of the hottest movies in contention for the Palme d&#39;Or - its first time in competition at the festival that France boasts is the greatest in the world.

But, in a country where movies shown in cinemas cannot be streamed for three years, Netflix refused to arrange distribution across France - meaning &quot;Okja&quot;, starring Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal, and &quot;The Meyerowitz Stories&quot;, with Ben Stiller and Dustin Hoffman, will not be seen on the big screen after their Cannes premiere.

The outcry from French cinemas was such that there were rumours the two movies would be excluded at the last minute.

&quot;Cannes is a film festival in theatres, and, for the territory of France, we would like to have all the films competing in Cannes available in theatres,&quot; festival director Thierry Fremaux told Reuters in an interview.

&quot;Netflix&nbsp;decided to go first via the internet, so French theatres protested, and they are right, because cinema is first of all in theatres,&quot;&nbsp;he added.

Europe has been taking a tough stand against online channels. Last week European Union&#39;s top court declared Uber to be a transport service and not a technology company. Uber considers itself as&nbsp;an intermediary service between car drivers and passengers but the EU court clearly did not agree with Uber&#39;s argument.&nbsp;

Three years ago European Parliament had backed a motion urging anti-trust regulators to get tough on Google. The parliamentarians wanted Google to be broken if it did not stick to European Union competition rules.

(WION with Agency inputs: Reuters, AFP)

Cannes jury chief Pedro Almodovar fired a warning shot at streaming giant Netflix declaring that the film that wins the festival's top prize should be shown in cinemas

Cannes jury chief Pedro Almodovar fired a warning shot at streaming giant Netflix declaring that the film that wins the festival's top prize should be shown in cinemas. The online giant has refused to show two of its movies in the running for the Palme d'Or in French cinemas because strict rules there mean it would then have to wait three years to put them online. Spanish director Almodovar told reporters at Cannes that it would be "an enormous paradox if the Palme d'Or went to a film that cannot be seen in cinemas". Netflix, which streams films and television shows to subscribers, has two of the hottest movies in contention for the Palme d'Or - its first time in competition at the festival that France boasts is the greatest in the world. But, in a country where movies shown in cinemas cannot be streamed for three years, Netflix refused to arrange distribution across France - meaning "Okja", starring Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal, and "The Meyerowitz Stories", with Ben Stiller and Dustin Hoffman, will not be seen on the big screen after their Cannes premiere. The outcry from French cinemas was such that there were rumours the two movies would be excluded at the last minute. "Cannes is a film festival in theatres, and, for the territory of France, we would like to have all the films competing in Cannes available in theatres," festival director Thierry Fremaux told Reuters in an interview. "Netflix decided to go first via the internet, so French theatres protested, and they are right, because cinema is first of all in theatres," he added. Europe has been taking a tough stand against online channels. Last week European Union's top court declared Uber to be a transport service and not a technology company. Uber considers itself as an intermediary service between car drivers and passengers but the EU court clearly did not agree with Uber's argument. Three years ago European Parliament had backed a motion urging anti-trust regulators to get tough on Google. The parliamentarians wanted Google to be broken if it did not stick to European Union competition rules. (WION with Agency inputs: Reuters, AFP)

Cannes jury chief takes a dig at Netflix

Citigroup listed seven companies as potential takeover targets for Apple, including Netflix, Walt Disney and Tesla, as a way to put its cash hoard of more than $250 billion to work.

With over 90 per cent of its cash sitting overseas, a one-time 10 per cent repatriation tax would give Apple $220 billion for acquisitions or buybacks, Citigroup analyst Jim Suva said in a note to clients.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s tax blueprint, which was unveiled last month, proposes allowing multinationals to bring in overseas profits at a tax rate of 10 per cent versus 35 per cent now. &quot;Since one of the new administration&#39;s top priorities is to allow US companies to repatriate overseas cash at a lower tax rate, Apple may have a more acute need to put this cash to use,&quot; Suva said.

The analyst is rated three out of five stars for his recommendations on Apple, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine. The other potential acquisition targets include video game developers Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive Software as well as video streaming service Hulu. The analyst said the targets were screened considering five criteria - strategic fit, global scale, transaction size, few non-strategic assets and likely impact on Apple&#39;s share price.

Under pressure from shareholders to hand over more of its cash hoard, Apple recently boosted its capital return program by $50 billion, increased its share buyback program by $35 billion and raised its quarterly dividend by 10.5 per cent.

(Reuters)

A one-time 10 percent repatriation tax would give Apple $220 billion for acquisitions or buybacks

Citigroup listed seven companies as potential takeover targets for Apple, including Netflix, Walt Disney and Tesla, as a way to put its cash hoard of more than $250 billion to work. With over 90 per cent of its cash sitting overseas, a one-time 10 per cent repatriation tax would give Apple $220 billion for acquisitions or buybacks, Citigroup analyst Jim Suva said in a note to clients. US President Donald Trump's tax blueprint, which was unveiled last month, proposes allowing multinationals to bring in overseas profits at a tax rate of 10 per cent versus 35 per cent now. "Since one of the new administration's top priorities is to allow US companies to repatriate overseas cash at a lower tax rate, Apple may have a more acute need to put this cash to use," Suva said. The analyst is rated three out of five stars for his recommendations on Apple, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine. The other potential acquisition targets include video game developers Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive Software as well as video streaming service Hulu. The analyst said the targets were screened considering five criteria - strategic fit, global scale, transaction size, few non-strategic assets and likely impact on Apple's share price. Under pressure from shareholders to hand over more of its cash hoard, Apple recently boosted its capital return program by $50 billion, increased its share buyback program by $35 billion and raised its quarterly dividend by 10.5 per cent. (Reuters)

Netflix, Tesla listed as potential takeover targets for Apple

Netflix subscriber growth missed its mark in the first quarter of this year, but the on-demand television star expects to hit the 100-million milestone this weekend.

Along with posting strong earnings on Monday, US-based Netflix reported a net increase of 4.95 million subscribers, most of those overseas where it has been investing in becoming a global entertainment network.

In comparison, Netflix gained 7.05 million subscribers in the prior quarter, raising expectations in the market.

&quot;We have come to see these quarterly variances as mostly noise in the long-term growth trend and adoption of internet TV,&quot; Netflix said in a letter released along with the earnings figures.

Netflix finished the first quarter of this year with 98.75 million subscribers and predicted that its ranks would crest 100 million this weekend.

&quot;That is a bit accomplishment,&quot; Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said during a video briefing with analysts. 
&quot;We are super excited.&quot;

The company expected it would add about 8.15 million subscribers overall during the first half of this year as compared with 8.42 million in the same period in 2016.

Netflix shares dipped and then rose in after-market trades that followed release of the quarterly earnings figures, eventually gaining more than a percent to reach $149.25.Executives declined to reveal details about viewing trends at Netflix, but Hastings disclosed that people watch more than a billion hours worth of shows weekly at the service while Google-owned YouTube boasts that much viewership daily.

&quot;We definitely have YouTube envy,&quot; Hastings said.

&quot;We are a little over a billion viewing hours a week, and YouTube has a billion a day so we have a ways to go to catch up.&quot;

He downplayed competition, saying &quot;entertainment is not a zero-sum game&quot; and it is more about winning fans with content in the on-demand viewing market.

Netflix has no interest in getting into the live television streaming game, so is not facing off with services such as PlayStation Vue, DirecTV and YouTube TV, according to executives.

Hastings saw Netflix and rival Amazon Prime Video as competing more with people`s limited viewing time than they are with one another.

Both Amazon and Netflix have been investing heavily in original programming to win subscribers to their on-demand video services.

Netflix reported profit of $178 million on revenue of $2.64 billion in the first three months of this year as compared with net income of $28 million on revenue of $1.96 billion in the same period a year earlier.

The company described the opportunity for its service as &quot;gigantic&quot; and said it planned to continue investing in films and shows tailored to win fans in countries around the world.

&quot;With a growing member base spread across the world, we seek to please diverse tastes with a wide breadth of content,&quot; Netflix said.

Netflix planned to spend a billion dollars this year on marketing aimed at attracting members. 
&quot;A bet on Netflix continues to be a bet on continued high growth, something which certainly isn`t guaranteed,&quot; Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson said in an online note.

(AFP)

Netflix finished the first quarter of this year with 98.75 million subscribers

Netflix subscriber growth missed its mark in the first quarter of this year, but the on-demand television star expects to hit the 100-million milestone this weekend. Along with posting strong earnings on Monday, US-based Netflix reported a net increase of 4.95 million subscribers, most of those overseas where it has been investing in becoming a global entertainment network. In comparison, Netflix gained 7.05 million subscribers in the prior quarter, raising expectations in the market. "We have come to see these quarterly variances as mostly noise in the long-term growth trend and adoption of internet TV," Netflix said in a letter released along with the earnings figures. Netflix finished the first quarter of this year with 98.75 million subscribers and predicted that its ranks would crest 100 million this weekend. "That is a bit accomplishment," Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said during a video briefing with analysts. "We are super excited." The company expected it would add about 8.15 million subscribers overall during the first half of this year as compared with 8.42 million in the same period in 2016. Netflix shares dipped and then rose in after-market trades that followed release of the quarterly earnings figures, eventually gaining more than a percent to reach $149.25.Executives declined to reveal details about viewing trends at Netflix, but Hastings disclosed that people watch more than a billion hours worth of shows weekly at the service while Google-owned YouTube boasts that much viewership daily. "We definitely have YouTube envy," Hastings said. "We are a little over a billion viewing hours a week, and YouTube has a billion a day so we have a ways to go to catch up." He downplayed competition, saying "entertainment is not a zero-sum game" and it is more about winning fans with content in the on-demand viewing market. Netflix has no interest in getting into the live television streaming game, so is not facing off with services such as PlayStation Vue, DirecTV and YouTube TV, according to executives. Hastings saw Netflix and rival Amazon Prime Video as competing more with people`s limited viewing time than they are with one another. Both Amazon and Netflix have been investing heavily in original programming to win subscribers to their on-demand video services. Netflix reported profit of $178 million on revenue of $2.64 billion in the first three months of this year as compared with net income of $28 million on revenue of $1.96 billion in the same period a year earlier. The company described the opportunity for its service as "gigantic" and said it planned to continue investing in films and shows tailored to win fans in countries around the world. "With a growing member base spread across the world, we seek to please diverse tastes with a wide breadth of content," Netflix said. Netflix planned to spend a billion dollars this year on marketing aimed at attracting members. "A bet on Netflix continues to be a bet on continued high growth, something which certainly isn`t guaranteed," Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson said in an online note. (AFP)

Netflix growth misses mark despite strong earnings

Netflix is going to have a major change in its senior management. The company has announced that its long-time chief product officer Neil Hunt is quitting the company. Hunt has led Netflix&rsquo;s product team for the last eighteen years, but he has now decided to make a move.

Neil Hunt will continue with Netflix till July and once he leaves, Greg Peters will take that role and will be appointed as the new Chief Product Officer at Netflix.

Peters most recently has led international development efforts from the Netflix office in Tokyo since 2015. In his nine years at Netflix, Peters has held positions overseeing product engineering and business development and in his role leading Netflix Japan, marketing and content licensing and creation.

Prior to joining Netflix, Peters was senior vice president of consumer electronics products at Macrovision Solutions and previously held positions at Mediabolic, Red Hat Network and Wine.com.

&ldquo;When I first met Greg nine years ago, I knew he was an especially gifted engineer and entrepreneur,&rdquo; said Hunt, adding, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m delighted to be leaving the Netflix product organization in such great shape and in such good hands.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Greg and Neil have collaborated through the years to make the Netflix experience all over the world absolutely incredible,&rdquo; said Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO, Netflix.

In addition to this rejig, Netflix has also announced that chief talent officer Tawni Cranz, who joined the company in 2007, will leave the company and pursue other interests.

(WION)

Greg Peters will be the new chief product officer at Netflix

Netflix is going to have a major change in its senior management. The company has announced that its long-time chief product officer Neil Hunt is quitting the company. Hunt has led Netflix’s product team for the last eighteen years, but he has now decided to make a move. Neil Hunt will continue with Netflix till July and once he leaves, Greg Peters will take that role and will be appointed as the new Chief Product Officer at Netflix. Peters most recently has led international development efforts from the Netflix office in Tokyo since 2015. In his nine years at Netflix, Peters has held positions overseeing product engineering and business development and in his role leading Netflix Japan, marketing and content licensing and creation. Prior to joining Netflix, Peters was senior vice president of consumer electronics products at Macrovision Solutions and previously held positions at Mediabolic, Red Hat Network and Wine.com. “When I first met Greg nine years ago, I knew he was an especially gifted engineer and entrepreneur,” said Hunt, adding, “I’m delighted to be leaving the Netflix product organization in such great shape and in such good hands.” “Greg and Neil have collaborated through the years to make the Netflix experience all over the world absolutely incredible,” said Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO, Netflix. In addition to this rejig, Netflix has also announced that chief talent officer Tawni Cranz, who joined the company in 2007, will leave the company and pursue other interests. (WION)

Netflix?s chief product officer Neil Hunt leaves company after 18 years

In a first, Netflix has acquired the worldwide theatrical and streaming rights to Martin Scorsese&rsquo;s next film, The Irishman. The movie, a $100 million gangster film starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, is set to be the next Netflix Original.&nbsp;

Announced in 2008, The Irishman&nbsp;is an adaptation of&nbsp;Charles Brandt&#39;s 2014 book named I Heard You Paint Houses, which follows the life of mob hitman Frank Sheeren, who confessed to killing organised-crime leader Jimmy Hoffa. The script of the movie has been written by Steve Zaillian of&nbsp;Schindler&#39;s List&nbsp;and Gangs of New York&nbsp;fame.&nbsp;

The film was initially set up with Paramount for release which was handling the domestic distribution and STX Entertainment handling overseas rights. However,&nbsp;Scorsese and team have now opted to package the movie elsewhere according to IndieWire. &nbsp;

Paramount Pictures had released Martin&#39;s previous film Silence&nbsp;which cost them $46 million but earned only $7.1 million. With the previous movie not delivering&nbsp;results as expected and the exit of chief Brad Grey, the movie hit a few halts. As reported to IndieWire, &quot;The movie is a risky deal and Paramount is not in the position to take risks&quot;.

Martin Scorsese is recognised as one of the world&rsquo;s most famous directors, and with his movie exploring a different mode of distribution, it is expected to bring a shift in how movie makers will use technology to market their films in the future.&nbsp;

Netflix has&nbsp;not commented on the deal, but sources close to the project confirmed a report by IndieWire. Production on The Irishman&nbsp;is expected to start later this year.

(WION)

That Netflix acquired a movie by a director as famous as Scorsese may just indicate that some changes are afoot in the film industry

In a first, Netflix has acquired the worldwide theatrical and streaming rights to Martin Scorsese’s next film, The Irishman. The movie, a $100 million gangster film starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, is set to be the next Netflix Original. Announced in 2008, The Irishman is an adaptation of Charles Brandt's 2014 book named I Heard You Paint Houses, which follows the life of mob hitman Frank Sheeren, who confessed to killing organised-crime leader Jimmy Hoffa. The script of the movie has been written by Steve Zaillian of Schindler's List and Gangs of New York fame. The film was initially set up with Paramount for release which was handling the domestic distribution and STX Entertainment handling overseas rights. However, Scorsese and team have now opted to package the movie elsewhere according to IndieWire. Paramount Pictures had released Martin's previous film Silence which cost them $46 million but earned only $7.1 million. With the previous movie not delivering results as expected and the exit of chief Brad Grey, the movie hit a few halts. As reported to IndieWire, "The movie is a risky deal and Paramount is not in the position to take risks". Martin Scorsese is recognised as one of the world’s most famous directors, and with his movie exploring a different mode of distribution, it is expected to bring a shift in how movie makers will use technology to market their films in the future. Netflix has not commented on the deal, but sources close to the project confirmed a report by IndieWire. Production on The Irishman is expected to start later this year. (WION)

Martin Scorsese's upcoming movie 'The Irishman' will premier on Netflix

One of Netflix Inc&#39;s Twitter accounts was hacked on Wednesday by an entity calling itself &quot;OurMine&quot;.

Several mocking tweets were sent from the Netflix US Twitter account (@netflix).&nbsp;

&quot;World security is shit. We are here to prove this :),&quot; said one tweet. Some of the tweets were deleted in less than 10 minutes.

Netflix could not be immediately reached for comment.

However, the company&#39;s verified customer support twitter handle tweeted: &quot;We&#39;re aware of the situation and are working to get it resolved.&quot;&nbsp;

OurMine is well known for breaking into high-profile social media accounts, including those of Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook Inc&#39;s Mark Zuckerberg and media outlets Forbes and TechCrunch.

Contacted by Reuters through email, OurMine said it had taken control Netflix&#39;s Twitter account three hours earlier.

(Reuters)

Hacking entity 'OurMine' put up several mocking tweets to illustrate how fallible world security is

One of Netflix Inc's Twitter accounts was hacked on Wednesday by an entity calling itself "OurMine". Several mocking tweets were sent from the Netflix US Twitter account (@netflix). "World security is shit. We are here to prove this :)," said one tweet. Some of the tweets were deleted in less than 10 minutes. Netflix could not be immediately reached for comment. However, the company's verified customer support twitter handle tweeted: "We're aware of the situation and are working to get it resolved." OurMine is well known for breaking into high-profile social media accounts, including those of Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg and media outlets Forbes and TechCrunch. Contacted by Reuters through email, OurMine said it had taken control Netflix's Twitter account three hours earlier. (Reuters)

Netflix's Twitter account breached by notorious hackers

Digital streaming service Netflix will now allow its users to download some of its shows and films and watch them offline.

&quot;While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we&#39;ve often heard they also want to continue their Stranger Things binge while on airplanes and other places where Internet is expensive or limited,&quot; Netflix said in a blog post.&nbsp;

It added that now subscribers can click the download button on the details page for a film or TV series and watch it later without an Internet connection.&nbsp;

The titles available for download currently include The Crown, House of Cards, Sky Latter, Stranger Things, Narcos, Orange is the New Black and Black Mirror.

&quot;The new feature is included in all plans and is available for phones and tablets on Android and iOS,&quot; Netflix Director of Product Innovation Eddy Wu said in the blog. Netflix is facing growing competition from services like Amazon.&nbsp;

The company, which has 86 million subscribers globally, had launched services in India last January. With booming smartphone adoption and falling data prices, on-demand video service market has been growing in the country.

Industry watchers are confident of manifold growth in the segment in coming years.

(PTI)

Titles available for download currently include The Crown, House of Cards, Sky Latter, Stranger Things, Narcos, and Orange is the New Black

Digital streaming service Netflix will now allow its users to download some of its shows and films and watch them offline. "While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we've often heard they also want to continue their Stranger Things binge while on airplanes and other places where Internet is expensive or limited," Netflix said in a blog post. It added that now subscribers can click the download button on the details page for a film or TV series and watch it later without an Internet connection. The titles available for download currently include The Crown, House of Cards, Sky Latter, Stranger Things, Narcos, Orange is the New Black and Black Mirror. "The new feature is included in all plans and is available for phones and tablets on Android and iOS," Netflix Director of Product Innovation Eddy Wu said in the blog. Netflix is facing growing competition from services like Amazon. The company, which has 86 million subscribers globally, had launched services in India last January. With booming smartphone adoption and falling data prices, on-demand video service market has been growing in the country. Industry watchers are confident of manifold growth in the segment in coming years. (PTI)

Netflix to allow download of select TV shows, movies

Netflix&nbsp;Inc added over 50 per cent more subscribers than expected in the third quarter as original shows such as &quot;Stranger Things&quot; drew new international viewers and kept U.S. customers despite a price hike, sending its shares soaring 20 per cent in late trade.

The company&#39;s performance represented a turnaround from the previous quarter of disappointing subscription growth.&nbsp;Netflix, which has spent heavily to expand outside its home market, also said that it was on track to start harvesting &quot;material global profits&quot; next year, even as it raised spending on original programming.

Shares of&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;rose to $119.82 in extended trade from a close of $99.80.

Netflix&nbsp;added about 3.20 million subscribers internationally in the third quarter, higher than the 2.01 million average analyst estimate.

In the United States,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;added 370,000 subscriptions, compared with analysts&#39; estimate of 309,000, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount.

&quot;Investors appear laser focused on subscriber growth, and so long as&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;delivers on that metric, investors will bid its shares up,&quot; said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. However, Pachter said he thought the continuing cost of developing new shows would undermine plans to deliver material profits in 2017.

Netflix&nbsp;has expanded into more than 130 markets worldwide, including most major countries, except China. It said on Monday it was dropping plans to launch a service in China in the near term, opting instead to license its shows for &quot;modest&quot; revenue.

The company said it still hopes to launch service in China &quot;eventually.&quot;

In the meantime,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;plans to keep pouring money into building its stable of original and licensed TV shows and movies. Content spending will rise to $6 billion next year, a $1 billion increase from 2016, the company said.&quot;We will keep investing in growing the content spend, even domestically, for quite a long time,&quot; Chief Executive Reed Hastings said on webcast.

Netflix&nbsp;has been facing a slowdown in subscription growth in the United States as the market matures and a planned U.S. price hike raised concerns it would not hit its targets. It also faces competition from the likes of Hulu and Amazon.com Inc.

But the company, whose other popular original shows include &quot;Orange is the New Black&quot; and &quot;House of Cards&quot;, said it expects to add 1.45 million subscribers in the United States in the current quarter.

Analysts on average were expecting 1.27 million additions, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount.

&quot;Netflix&nbsp;has successfully navigated the challenges of a price increase,&quot; retail research group Conlumino said in a note, adding that it had been &quot;somewhat less successful&quot; in maintaining subscriber growth.

In its international markets, it expects subscriber additions of 3.75 million, compared with the average analyst estimate of 3.32 million.

Third-quarter revenue rose 31.7 per cent to $2.29 billion.

Netflix&#39;s shares have surged in the past few years, driven by rapid growth as the company redefined television and fueled &quot;binge watching&quot;.

The stock, however, was down 12.7 per cent this year as investors fretted about slowing growth in its domestic market and increasing competition.

Despite a price hike in subscriptions, the online streaming giant saw its shares increase by 20 per cent in late trade

Netflix Inc added over 50 per cent more subscribers than expected in the third quarter as original shows such as "Stranger Things" drew new international viewers and kept U.S. customers despite a price hike, sending its shares soaring 20 per cent in late trade. The company's performance represented a turnaround from the previous quarter of disappointing subscription growth. Netflix, which has spent heavily to expand outside its home market, also said that it was on track to start harvesting "material global profits" next year, even as it raised spending on original programming. Shares of Netflix rose to $119.82 in extended trade from a close of $99.80. Netflix added about 3.20 million subscribers internationally in the third quarter, higher than the 2.01 million average analyst estimate. In the United States, Netflix added 370,000 subscriptions, compared with analysts' estimate of 309,000, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. "Investors appear laser focused on subscriber growth, and so long as Netflix delivers on that metric, investors will bid its shares up," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. However, Pachter said he thought the continuing cost of developing new shows would undermine plans to deliver material profits in 2017. Netflix has expanded into more than 130 markets worldwide, including most major countries, except China. It said on Monday it was dropping plans to launch a service in China in the near term, opting instead to license its shows for "modest" revenue. The company said it still hopes to launch service in China "eventually." In the meantime, Netflix plans to keep pouring money into building its stable of original and licensed TV shows and movies. Content spending will rise to $6 billion next year, a $1 billion increase from 2016, the company said."We will keep investing in growing the content spend, even domestically, for quite a long time," Chief Executive Reed Hastings said on webcast. Netflix has been facing a slowdown in subscription growth in the United States as the market matures and a planned U.S. price hike raised concerns it would not hit its targets. It also faces competition from the likes of Hulu and Amazon.com Inc. But the company, whose other popular original shows include "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards", said it expects to add 1.45 million subscribers in the United States in the current quarter. Analysts on average were expecting 1.27 million additions, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. "Netflix has successfully navigated the challenges of a price increase," retail research group Conlumino said in a note, adding that it had been "somewhat less successful" in maintaining subscriber growth. In its international markets, it expects subscriber additions of 3.75 million, compared with the average analyst estimate of 3.32 million. Third-quarter revenue rose 31.7 per cent to $2.29 billion. Netflix's shares have surged in the past few years, driven by rapid growth as the company redefined television and fueled "binge watching". The stock, however, was down 12.7 per cent this year as investors fretted about slowing growth in its domestic market and increasing competition.

Netflix shares soar after 50 per cent surge in subscribers

A US judge in the state of Wisconsin yesterday ordered the release from prison of Brendan Dassey, who was featured along with his uncle in the Netflix documentary series &quot;Making a Murderer.&quot; 
 
Unless prosecutors decide to appeal the judge&#39;s order overturning Dassey&#39;s conviction, he could be set free in 90 days. 
 
Dassey and his uncle Steven Avery were sentenced to life terms for the murder of a woman in 2005. 
 
Their story was featured in the Netflix documentary series, prompting many to believe that they were improperly convicted. 
 
The judge&#39;s order included strongly worded rebukes of the investigating police and of Leonard Kachinsky, the public defender appointed in 2006 to represent Dassey - a 16-year-old minor at the time. 
 
US magistrate judge William Duffin referred to Kachinsky&#39;s representation as misconduct that was &quot;indefensible.&quot; He also said police investigators acted inappropriately toward Dassey. 
 
&quot;The investigators assured Dassey that he had nothing to worry about. These repeated false promises, when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey&#39;s age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey&#39;s confession involuntary,&quot; Duffin said. 
 
Following release of the Netflix series, fans called for the two men to be freed and almost 130,000 people signed a White House petition asking for a presidential pardon. 
 
&quot;There is clear evidence that the Manitowoc County sheriff&#39;s department used improper methods,&quot; the petition said. 
 
The White House explained that because the men were not convicted of federal crimes and &quot;are both state prisoners,&quot; pardoning them was outside the scope of the president&#39;s power. 
 
The documentary was prompted by the unusual story of Avery, who remains in prison serving a life sentence. 
 
He was exonerated of a rape case through DNA evidence and freed from prison in 2003 after serving 18 years behind bars. 
 
Two years later, while he was suing Manitowoc County in Wisconsin over wrongful imprisonment, he was arrested over the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach. 
 
Dassey was also charged with Halbach&#39;s murder and sentenced to life in prison. 
 
(AFP)

Dassey could be set free in 90 days. A 16-year-old minor at the time, he was sentenced to life terms for the murder of a woman in 2005

A US judge in the state of Wisconsin yesterday ordered the release from prison of Brendan Dassey, who was featured along with his uncle in the Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer." Unless prosecutors decide to appeal the judge's order overturning Dassey's conviction, he could be set free in 90 days. Dassey and his uncle Steven Avery were sentenced to life terms for the murder of a woman in 2005. Their story was featured in the Netflix documentary series, prompting many to believe that they were improperly convicted. The judge's order included strongly worded rebukes of the investigating police and of Leonard Kachinsky, the public defender appointed in 2006 to represent Dassey - a 16-year-old minor at the time. US magistrate judge William Duffin referred to Kachinsky's representation as misconduct that was "indefensible." He also said police investigators acted inappropriately toward Dassey. "The investigators assured Dassey that he had nothing to worry about. These repeated false promises, when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey's age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey's confession involuntary," Duffin said. Following release of the Netflix series, fans called for the two men to be freed and almost 130,000 people signed a White House petition asking for a presidential pardon. "There is clear evidence that the Manitowoc County sheriff's department used improper methods," the petition said. The White House explained that because the men were not convicted of federal crimes and "are both state prisoners," pardoning them was outside the scope of the president's power. The documentary was prompted by the unusual story of Avery, who remains in prison serving a life sentence. He was exonerated of a rape case through DNA evidence and freed from prison in 2003 after serving 18 years behind bars. Two years later, while he was suing Manitowoc County in Wisconsin over wrongful imprisonment, he was arrested over the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach. Dassey was also charged with Halbach's murder and sentenced to life in prison. (AFP)

US judge frees convicted nephew from 'Making a Murderer'

Netflix shares plunged Monday after its latest quarterly update showed subscriber growth below expectations for the streaming television giant. 
 
Netflix shares tumbled 15 per cent in after-hours trade after the quarterly report. 
 
The company said it ended the second quarter with 83 million subscribers, adding 1.7 million. That was well below Netflix&#39;s own forecast of 2.5 million additions and lower than many analyst forecasts. 
 
Netflix said growth was hurt, especially in the United States, when it raised rates on many long-time subscribers who had been &quot;grandfathered&quot; when it hiked most prices. 
 
&quot;We think some members perceived the news as an impending new price increase rather than the completion of two years of grandfathering,&quot; the company said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Churn of members who were actually ungrandfathered is modest and conforms to our expectations.&quot; 
 
Net profit for the quarter was $41 million, up from $26 million a year earlier. Revenue rose to $2.1 billion from $1.6 billion. 
 
Netflix said its march to becoming a global television provider was making progress, projecting gains of some two million subscribers outside the US in the third quarter. 
 
&quot;Our approach in expanding our global footprint in January was to launch a service targeting early adopters and then to listen, learn and iterate quickly,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;Now that we are six months in, we will localize Netflix in Poland and Turkey with the addition of local language in the user interface, subtitles and dubbing. Localization in other markets will take place over time as economically prudent.&quot; 
 
The streaming television pioneer in January significantly expanded its global footprint to 190 countries, making its Internet TV service available in 130 new markets, including India -- but not China. 
 
(AFP)

Netflix shares tumbled 15 per cent in after-hours trade following the quarterly report

Netflix shares plunged Monday after its latest quarterly update showed subscriber growth below expectations for the streaming television giant. Netflix shares tumbled 15 per cent in after-hours trade after the quarterly report. The company said it ended the second quarter with 83 million subscribers, adding 1.7 million. That was well below Netflix's own forecast of 2.5 million additions and lower than many analyst forecasts. Netflix said growth was hurt, especially in the United States, when it raised rates on many long-time subscribers who had been "grandfathered" when it hiked most prices. "We think some members perceived the news as an impending new price increase rather than the completion of two years of grandfathering," the company said in a statement. "Churn of members who were actually ungrandfathered is modest and conforms to our expectations." Net profit for the quarter was $41 million, up from $26 million a year earlier. Revenue rose to $2.1 billion from $1.6 billion. Netflix said its march to becoming a global television provider was making progress, projecting gains of some two million subscribers outside the US in the third quarter. "Our approach in expanding our global footprint in January was to launch a service targeting early adopters and then to listen, learn and iterate quickly," it said. "Now that we are six months in, we will localize Netflix in Poland and Turkey with the addition of local language in the user interface, subtitles and dubbing. Localization in other markets will take place over time as economically prudent." The streaming television pioneer in January significantly expanded its global footprint to 190 countries, making its Internet TV service available in 130 new markets, including India -- but not China. (AFP)

Netflix shares plunge after quarterly report reveals cooler growth

Wall Street was set to open higher today, setting the stage for the Dow and S&amp;P 500 to hit fresh highs, as US corporate reports continue to top expectations. 
 
Equity futures, which dipped after the close on Friday, shrugged off the impact of an attempted coup in Turkey. 
 
With the S&amp;P and Dow hitting record intraday highs almost everyday last week, investors will assess the quality of second-quarter earnings to justify stock valuations. 
 
&quot;The markets are going to be driven by earnings reports while geopolitical problems take a backseat for now,&quot; said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York. 
 
Bank of America profits show corporations making money&nbsp; 
 
Bank of America, the number 2 US bank by assets, and fellow S&amp;P component Hasbro posted better than expected profit for the second quarter, mirroring the results of the few companies, including big banks, that reported last week. 
 
&quot;The handful of results that we have got have been okay and earnings have mostly beaten expectations. It shows that corporations are still making money, and that&#39;s what counts,&quot; Cardillo said. 
 
Dow e-minis were up 32 points, or 0.17 per cent at 8:27 a.m. ET (1227 GMT), with 28,500 contracts changing hands. 
 
S&amp;P 500 e-minis were up 5.75 points, or 0.27 per cent, with 186,056 contracts traded. 
 
Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 10.5 points, or 0.23 per cent, on volume of 25,766 contracts. 
 
Bank of America shares rose nearly 1 per cent to $13.79 premarket. Hasbro was off 0.6 pe rcent. 
 
Investors favouring riskier assets? &nbsp; 
 
British chip designer ARM&#39;s US-listed shares surged 43.5 per cent to $67.64 premarket, after Japan&#39;s SoftBank agreed to buy the company for $32.2 billion. 
 
A host of US chip stock such as Micron, Nvidia and Broadcom were up between 1.0 and 1.5 per cent. 
 
Earnings of S&amp;P 500 companies are now estimated to have declined 4.7 per cent in the second quarter, less than the 5 per cent drop estimated earlier, according to Thomson Reuters data. 
 
That adds to hopes that earnings contraction bottomed out in the previous quarter, a view that could be reinforced when IBM, Yahoo and Netflix report results after markets close. 
 
Gold prices have fallen, while the yen was lower, indicating investors&#39; favour for more riskier assets has been growing after weeks of uncertainty. Low Treasury yields in recent weeks have also helped steer investors to equities. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Equity futures, which dipped after the close on Friday, shrugged off the impact of an attempted coup in Turkey

Wall Street was set to open higher today, setting the stage for the Dow and S&P 500 to hit fresh highs, as US corporate reports continue to top expectations. Equity futures, which dipped after the close on Friday, shrugged off the impact of an attempted coup in Turkey. With the S&P and Dow hitting record intraday highs almost everyday last week, investors will assess the quality of second-quarter earnings to justify stock valuations. "The markets are going to be driven by earnings reports while geopolitical problems take a backseat for now," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York. Bank of America profits show corporations making money Bank of America, the number 2 US bank by assets, and fellow S&P component Hasbro posted better than expected profit for the second quarter, mirroring the results of the few companies, including big banks, that reported last week. "The handful of results that we have got have been okay and earnings have mostly beaten expectations. It shows that corporations are still making money, and that's what counts," Cardillo said. Dow e-minis were up 32 points, or 0.17 per cent at 8:27 a.m. ET (1227 GMT), with 28,500 contracts changing hands. S&P 500 e-minis were up 5.75 points, or 0.27 per cent, with 186,056 contracts traded. Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 10.5 points, or 0.23 per cent, on volume of 25,766 contracts. Bank of America shares rose nearly 1 per cent to $13.79 premarket. Hasbro was off 0.6 pe rcent. Investors favouring riskier assets? British chip designer ARM's US-listed shares surged 43.5 per cent to $67.64 premarket, after Japan's SoftBank agreed to buy the company for $32.2 billion. A host of US chip stock such as Micron, Nvidia and Broadcom were up between 1.0 and 1.5 per cent. Earnings of S&P 500 companies are now estimated to have declined 4.7 per cent in the second quarter, less than the 5 per cent drop estimated earlier, according to Thomson Reuters data. That adds to hopes that earnings contraction bottomed out in the previous quarter, a view that could be reinforced when IBM, Yahoo and Netflix report results after markets close. Gold prices have fallen, while the yen was lower, indicating investors' favour for more riskier assets has been growing after weeks of uncertainty. Low Treasury yields in recent weeks have also helped steer investors to equities. (Reuters)

Wall Street gears up for upbeat earnings

The brother of the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar has asked Netflix to review the second season of the hit series Narcos before its release. 
 
Roberto Escobar said in a statement released on Tuesday by Escobar Inc. that he had sent Netflix a &quot;friendly request&quot; to review the material &quot;solely on an informational basis&quot;. 
 
&quot;It is depicting me, my life, my family and my brother,&quot; the statement said. &quot;I think nobody else in the world is alive to determine the validity of the materials, but me.&quot; 
 
Although Netflix has kept details of the second season of Narcos under wraps, it is understood that the shows will be available for the streaming service&#39;s 81 million subscribers in August, with the death of the feared Medellin Cartel&#39;s Don Pablo recreated in the finale. 
 
The Colombian farmer&#39;s son who became world&#39;s seventh-richest man with his ruthless dominance of the global cocaine trade was hunted for years before police killed him in his hometown of Medellin in 1993. 
 
His brother Roberto was the cartel&#39;s chief accountant and served a lengthy spell in prison. He wrote about the group&#39;s exploits in a book entitled The Accountant&#39;s Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellin Cartel. 
 
During the height of its operations, the cartel brought in more than $60 million a day, providing 80 per cent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. 
 
Olof Gustafsson, the CEO of Escobar Inc., said he had tried to reach Netflix about the new season but had gotten no response. 
 
&quot;I think it is important that they recognise Roberto Escobar&#39;s wishes to review the show they are putting out, ensuring the family and viewers of an accurate portrayal of Pablo and Roberto,&quot; he said in the statement. 
 
Netflix could not be immediately reached for comment. 
 
(AFP)

The Netflix hit's second season will be available in August, with cocaine drug lord Don Pablo's death recreated in the finale

The brother of the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar has asked Netflix to review the second season of the hit series Narcos before its release. Roberto Escobar said in a statement released on Tuesday by Escobar Inc. that he had sent Netflix a "friendly request" to review the material "solely on an informational basis". "It is depicting me, my life, my family and my brother," the statement said. "I think nobody else in the world is alive to determine the validity of the materials, but me." Although Netflix has kept details of the second season of Narcos under wraps, it is understood that the shows will be available for the streaming service's 81 million subscribers in August, with the death of the feared Medellin Cartel's Don Pablo recreated in the finale. The Colombian farmer's son who became world's seventh-richest man with his ruthless dominance of the global cocaine trade was hunted for years before police killed him in his hometown of Medellin in 1993. His brother Roberto was the cartel's chief accountant and served a lengthy spell in prison. He wrote about the group's exploits in a book entitled The Accountant's Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellin Cartel. During the height of its operations, the cartel brought in more than $60 million a day, providing 80 per cent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. Olof Gustafsson, the CEO of Escobar Inc., said he had tried to reach Netflix about the new season but had gotten no response. "I think it is important that they recognise Roberto Escobar's wishes to review the show they are putting out, ensuring the family and viewers of an accurate portrayal of Pablo and Roberto," he said in the statement. Netflix could not be immediately reached for comment. (AFP)

Pablo Escobar's brother wants to review new season of 'Narcos'

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