Hollywood is experiencing a slowdown as the once-thriving streaming industry faces challenges, with the streaming bubble showing signs of bursting. The shift is impacting production, profits, and the future of showbiz, marking a period of highs and lows for the entertainment industry.

Hollywood's Highs and Lows: Showbiz Slows As Streaming Bubble Bursts

India's solar energy output growth slowed in September, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, at a time when coal-fired utilities are facing a shortage of a fuel that accounts for more than 70 per cent&nbsp;of the country's power generation.

Growth in solar energy is critical this year as half of India's 135 coal-fired power plants have fuel stocks of less than three days. India expects the coal shortage to last for up to six months.

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State-run Coal India, which accounts for over 80&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;of India`s coal output, saw production grow at the slowest rate in six months and supplies at the slowest rate in seven months during September as rain affected output in key mining regions.

Solar energy generation growth slowed to 24.7&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;year-on-year in September from 41 per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;in August, an analysis of federal grid regulator POSOCO's daily load despatch data showed.

Other key sources of electricity generation also fell in September, the data showed, with hydro declining 5 per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;and gas-fired power falling 31.6&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;compared with the previous year.

A seasonal change in India's power consumption patterns could also increase stress on coal-fired utilities saddled with an acute shortage, and lead to power outages, analysts say.

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"Renewable energy will not be available early in the day and immediately after sunset, when power demand generally peaks during winter in India," a Singapore-based power sector analyst said.

Victor Vanya, director at power analytics firm EMA Solutions, said higher humidity in the coming weeks could lead to a surge in power demand driven by higher air-conditioning requirements, and a rapid deterioration in coal stocks.

"If humidity remains high in the next 2 weeks, there is a highly probability for India to end up in a 'China-like scenario'," he told Reuters. Coal supply shortages in China have led to power restrictions in parts of the country.

However, CRISIL, a unit of ratings agency S&amp;P, forecast 15 per cent&nbsp;-16&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;growth in solar output during the six months ending March 2022 and a slowdown in overall power demand growth would ease constraints on India`s coal-fired power plants.

"This will further be supported by 5 per cent&nbsp;- 6&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;and 3 per cent&nbsp;-4&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;&nbsp;growth in generation from nuclear and hydro sources," CRISIL told Reuters, adding that widespread outages were unlikely.

India's solar energy output growth slowed in September, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, at a time when coal-fired utilities are facing a shortage of a fuel that accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country's power generation.

India's solar energy output growth slowed in September, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, at a time when coal-fired utilities are facing a shortage of a fuel that accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country's power generation. Growth in solar energy is critical this year as half of India's 135 coal-fired power plants have fuel stocks of less than three days. India expects the coal shortage to last for up to six months. Also Read | Despite the green energy push, Oil will be world's No 1 energy source: OPEC State-run Coal India, which accounts for over 80 per cent of India`s coal output, saw production grow at the slowest rate in six months and supplies at the slowest rate in seven months during September as rain affected output in key mining regions. Solar energy generation growth slowed to 24.7 per cent year-on-year in September from 41 per cent in August, an analysis of federal grid regulator POSOCO's daily load despatch data showed. Other key sources of electricity generation also fell in September, the data showed, with hydro declining 5 per cent and gas-fired power falling 31.6 per cent compared with the previous year. A seasonal change in India's power consumption patterns could also increase stress on coal-fired utilities saddled with an acute shortage, and lead to power outages, analysts say. Also Read | China orders energy firms to secure supplies amid power crisis: report "Renewable energy will not be available early in the day and immediately after sunset, when power demand generally peaks during winter in India," a Singapore-based power sector analyst said. Victor Vanya, director at power analytics firm EMA Solutions, said higher humidity in the coming weeks could lead to a surge in power demand driven by higher air-conditioning requirements, and a rapid deterioration in coal stocks. "If humidity remains high in the next 2 weeks, there is a highly probability for India to end up in a 'China-like scenario'," he told Reuters. Coal supply shortages in China have led to power restrictions in parts of the country. However, CRISIL, a unit of ratings agency S&P, forecast 15 per cent -16 per cent growth in solar output during the six months ending March 2022 and a slowdown in overall power demand growth would ease constraints on India`s coal-fired power plants. "This will further be supported by 5 per cent - 6 per cent and 3 per cent -4 per cent growth in generation from nuclear and hydro sources," CRISIL told Reuters, adding that widespread outages were unlikely.

India's solar energy output growth slows in September

Netflix&nbsp;Inc said it would make a deeper dive into video games as the movie and TV streaming service projected weak subscriber growth amid growing competition and the lifting of pandemic restrictions that had kept people at home.

The company's shares hovered about even at $531.10 in after-hours trading on Tuesday.

Netflix&nbsp;is weathering a sharp slowdown in new customers after a boom in 2020 fueled by stay-at-home orders to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States and Canada,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;reported losing about 430,000 subscribers in the second quarter, only its third quarterly decline in 10 years.

The streaming video pioneer said it was in the early stages of expanding its video game offerings, which would be available to subscribers at no extra charge. The company will initially focus primarily on mobile games.

"We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV," the company said in its quarterly letter to shareholders.

The multi-year effort will start "relatively small" with games tied to&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;hits, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer Greg Peters said in a post-earnings video interview.

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"We know that fans of those stories want to go deeper. They want to engage further," Peters said.

Netflix&nbsp;has dabbled in video games with a few titles linked to series including "Stranger Things" and "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance."

Some analysts have said the company that dominates streaming video needs to find new ways to jump-start subscriptions after years of rapid expansion. According to eMarketer,&nbsp;Netflix's share of U.S. revenue from subscription streaming video will shrink to 30.8% by the end of 2021, from nearly 50% in 2018.

"Netflix&nbsp;delivered another underwhelming quarter as competition in the streaming space heats up," said Investing.com senior analyst Jesse Cohen. "The absence of any new looming growth catalysts has been one of the main reasons for&nbsp;Netflix’s relatively mild performance this year."

Co-CEO Reed Hastings said gaming and other ventures such as podcasts and merchandise sales will be "supporting elements" to help attract and retain customers to its core business of streaming video.

The company projected it would add 3.5 million customers from July through September. Wall Street had expected a forecast of 5.5 million, according to analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

For the just-ended quarter,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;added 1.54 million customers, beating analyst projections of 1.04 million. Total subscribers numbered 209 million at the end of June.

A year ago,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;picked up 10.1 million subscribers in the second quarter.

This year,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;felt the impact of COVID-19 on TV production, which left the company with a small menu of new titles. At the same time, Walt Disney Co's Disney+, AT&amp;T Inc's HBO Max and other services attracted customers, and summer blockbusters returned to movie theatres.

The easing of pandemic safety measures also lured people out of their homes and away from their televisions.

Earnings for April through June came in at $2.97 per share, below the average forecast of $3.16.

Netflix&nbsp;promises a heavier lineup in the second half of 2021, including new seasons of "You," "Money Heist" and "The Witcher."

If its subscriber forecast pans out,&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;will have added more than 54 million subscribers over the past two years, a pace consistent with its annual additions before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said.

It also noted that streaming television still accounts for a small portion of overall viewing time and that its service is less mature outside the United States.

"It's still an enormous prize and we are still in the best position to run after it," Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said.

Netflix Inc said it would make a deeper dive into video games as the movie and TV streaming service projected weak subscriber growth amid growing competition and the lifting of pandemic restrictions that had kept people at home.

Netflix Inc said it would make a deeper dive into video games as the movie and TV streaming service projected weak subscriber growth amid growing competition and the lifting of pandemic restrictions that had kept people at home. The company's shares hovered about even at $531.10 in after-hours trading on Tuesday. Netflix is weathering a sharp slowdown in new customers after a boom in 2020 fueled by stay-at-home orders to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States and Canada, Netflix reported losing about 430,000 subscribers in the second quarter, only its third quarterly decline in 10 years. The streaming video pioneer said it was in the early stages of expanding its video game offerings, which would be available to subscribers at no extra charge. The company will initially focus primarily on mobile games. "We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV," the company said in its quarterly letter to shareholders. The multi-year effort will start "relatively small" with games tied to Netflix hits, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer Greg Peters said in a post-earnings video interview. Also read | Meghan Markle reportedly started working on Netflix series before Megxit "We know that fans of those stories want to go deeper. They want to engage further," Peters said. Netflix has dabbled in video games with a few titles linked to series including "Stranger Things" and "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance." Some analysts have said the company that dominates streaming video needs to find new ways to jump-start subscriptions after years of rapid expansion. According to eMarketer, Netflix's share of U.S. revenue from subscription streaming video will shrink to 30.8% by the end of 2021, from nearly 50% in 2018. "Netflix delivered another underwhelming quarter as competition in the streaming space heats up," said Investing.com senior analyst Jesse Cohen. "The absence of any new looming growth catalysts has been one of the main reasons for Netflix’s relatively mild performance this year." Co-CEO Reed Hastings said gaming and other ventures such as podcasts and merchandise sales will be "supporting elements" to help attract and retain customers to its core business of streaming video. The company projected it would add 3.5 million customers from July through September. Wall Street had expected a forecast of 5.5 million, according to analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. For the just-ended quarter, Netflix added 1.54 million customers, beating analyst projections of 1.04 million. Total subscribers numbered 209 million at the end of June. A year ago, Netflix picked up 10.1 million subscribers in the second quarter. This year, Netflix felt the impact of COVID-19 on TV production, which left the company with a small menu of new titles. At the same time, Walt Disney Co's Disney+, AT&T Inc's HBO Max and other services attracted customers, and summer blockbusters returned to movie theatres. The easing of pandemic safety measures also lured people out of their homes and away from their televisions. Earnings for April through June came in at $2.97 per share, below the average forecast of $3.16. Netflix promises a heavier lineup in the second half of 2021, including new seasons of "You," "Money Heist" and "The Witcher." If its subscriber forecast pans out, Netflix will have added more than 54 million subscribers over the past two years, a pace consistent with its annual additions before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said. It also noted that streaming television still accounts for a small portion of overall viewing time and that its service is less mature outside the United States. "It's still an enormous prize and we are still in the best position to run after it," Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said.

Netflix to add mobile video games as subscriber growth slows

Britain&#39;s economic growth slowed in the first quarter from the previous three months, official data confirmed Thursday, as business investment faltered on uncertainty before the Brexit referendum. 
 
Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.4 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a final estimate for the period between January and March, ahead of the June 23 European Union (EU) membership vote. 
 
That was unchanged from the previous figure, but marked a slowdown from the fourth quarter of 2015, which was revised up to 0.7 per cent expansion from 0.6 per cent. 
 
&quot;Business investment was highly likely limited by increased business caution ahead of the EU membership referendum,&quot; said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer. 
 
&quot;It was also disappointing to see exports of goods and services dip.&quot; 
 
In a shock referendum last Thursday, Britons voted to quit the EU in a so-called Brexit - despite warnings from the government and the International Monetary Fund of a potential recession. 
 
The outcome sparked the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron who backed the unsuccessful Remain campaign and will step down in the autumn. 
 
&quot;We can be confident that the economic recovery has lost further momentum in the second quarter as Brexit risk began to loom large,&quot; added economist Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macro. 
 
&quot;Even if the referendum had led to continuation of the status quo, the UK&#39;s economic recovery would be slowing in response to tighter fiscal policy, moderating employment growth and slowly rising inflation. 
 
&quot;The referendum has turned a bad outlook into a terrible one, and we now expect collapsing business investment, a hiring freeze and much higher inflation to push the economy into recession.&quot; 
 
The technical definition of a recession is two or more successive quarters of economic contraction. 
 
(AFP)

With uncertainty looming before Brexit referendum, Britain's several economic sectors are adversely affected

Britain's economic growth slowed in the first quarter from the previous three months, official data confirmed Thursday, as business investment faltered on uncertainty before the Brexit referendum. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.4 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a final estimate for the period between January and March, ahead of the June 23 European Union (EU) membership vote. That was unchanged from the previous figure, but marked a slowdown from the fourth quarter of 2015, which was revised up to 0.7 per cent expansion from 0.6 per cent. "Business investment was highly likely limited by increased business caution ahead of the EU membership referendum," said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer. "It was also disappointing to see exports of goods and services dip." In a shock referendum last Thursday, Britons voted to quit the EU in a so-called Brexit - despite warnings from the government and the International Monetary Fund of a potential recession. The outcome sparked the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron who backed the unsuccessful Remain campaign and will step down in the autumn. "We can be confident that the economic recovery has lost further momentum in the second quarter as Brexit risk began to loom large," added economist Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macro. "Even if the referendum had led to continuation of the status quo, the UK's economic recovery would be slowing in response to tighter fiscal policy, moderating employment growth and slowly rising inflation. "The referendum has turned a bad outlook into a terrible one, and we now expect collapsing business investment, a hiring freeze and much higher inflation to push the economy into recession." The technical definition of a recession is two or more successive quarters of economic contraction. (AFP)

Britain's economic growth slows, says official data

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