Editor’s Note: Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), AMC Networks Inc (NASDAQ:AMCX)
Netflix, Amazon drive up price for Hollywood content, conferees told (Los Angeles Times)
Neither Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) nor Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) were on stage, but the growing clout of these online video distributors was nonetheless felt at a San Francisco conference focused on the future of TV. As the rival services bid against one another for exclusive rights to popular movies and TV shows, in a manner that recalls the rivalry between premium cable networks HBO and Showtime, the fallout has been unmistakable, said Shawn Strickland, chief executive of Redbox Instant by Verizon. “It’s gotten more expensive,” Strickland said in remarks at the Broadcasting & Cable’s NextTV Summit. “It’s gotten more competitive, with Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Netflix pursuing exclusive rights.”
The popularity of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) and other video-on-demand (VOD) services lets AMC Networks Inc (NASDAQ:AMCX) stick with shows like Breaking Bad despite modest ratings, says AMC CEO Josh Sapan. Variety reports that Sapan addressed the difference VOD makes to how it assesses a show’s success at an event this week. “We don’t judge a show in five episodes because that’s not how consumers are consuming them,” says Sapan. The CEO points to shows that are now widely perceived as successes, such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men, as having “modest” ratings in their first seasons, before growing in popularity through “a pattern of consumption and referral that happens over time.”
Netflix looking for another hit with Ricky Gervais and ‘Derek’ (MarketWatch)
And now, Ricky Gervais is coming to Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). In one of the biggest “gets” since it started branching out into original and exclusive programs, Netflix, at 12:01 a.m. PT, Thursday, will premiere all seven episodes of the first season of Gervais’ new show “Derek.” The show, in which Gervais plays what the Sydney Morning Herald called “the story of a quiet middle-aged man who works in a slightly seedy nursing home,” is a Gervais production from top to bottom. In addition to starring as the titular character in “Derek”, Gervais created, wrote and directed the series.
Guidebox gives developers a free API to integrate unified search for Netflix, Hulu, iTunes and more (The Next Web)
The number of on-demand, movie and TV streaming platforms continues to grow, making it increasingly difficult for the average person to keep track of where their favorite shows and blockbuster films are being offered. Guidebox, which is already trying to solve this problem with its own Web platform (currently in beta), is now opening up its movie and TV discovery API to the developer community. It’s free and lists over 100 streaming services and digital marketplaces, including Hulu, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), iTunes and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).
Cramer’s Mad Dash: Netflix & Terex (CNBC.com)
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