Thompson on Hollywood

Netflix, Under Fire, Ditches Plans to Split Company, Kills Qwikster

"Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that," said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings as he backed off plans to split the company in two. “There is a difference between moving quickly — which Netflix has done very well for years — and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case.”

By Anne Thompson
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October 10, 2011 12:52 PM
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Media Watch: Hulu Lets You Choose Your Ads, Amazon Splits Streaming, Transformers Streamed Directly

- Amazon's stand-alone streaming service might follow the path of Netflix, reports Fierce Online. Amazon's plans to break its streaming business from its e-commerce store marks another instance, like Netflix, in which corporations make business decisions that do not cater to their consumers. Amazon might also have plans to split Prime from its original site.

By Maggie Lange
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October 5, 2011 12:21 PM
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Media Watch: Twitter Proves People Are Happiest on Weekends, Netflix vs. Amazon

Looking at a catalogue of real-time updates from Twitter, scientists at Cornell University were able to track mood changes throughout the day and week, and found confirmation of the obvious: people are happiest on their days off. Cornell University analyzed over 500 million Tweets from 2.4 million people, from 84 countries and using a computer program to look at words indicating positive or negative moods, found that positive attitudes peaked early in the morning and then again around midnight. Moods dipped in the middle of the workday and peaked on weekend mornings.

By Maggie Lange
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September 30, 2011 6:19 AM
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Weekly Wrap: Oscar Talk, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Moneyball, Gordon-Levitt Interviewed on 50/50

WEEKEND PREVIEW:

By Maggie Lange
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September 23, 2011 10:29 AM
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Media Watch: Dish Network Unveils Blockbuster Movie Pass, Facebook's Push to the Past

Today, the Dish Network revealed Blockbuster Movie Pass, its competitor to Netflix. Blockbuster Movie Pass will resemble the previous Netflix model, bundling DVD-by-mail rentals as well as online video streaming. However, its customers must sign up for the satellite provider for access to streaming. The new program, which will be available Oct. 1 and costs $10 a month, will offer 100,000 movies and TV programs to rent by mail, with another 4,000 movies available streaming. Read more at the Wrap.

By Maggie Lange
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September 23, 2011 8:24 AM
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First Look: REM Remix The End of TV As We Know It

This YouTube REM Remix captures the frenetic pace of obsessive screen-watchers. Like me.

By Anne Thompson
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September 22, 2011 12:09 PM
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Media Watch: Dish Network May Launch Blockbuster Streaming Site, Facebook Real-Time News Ticker

On Friday, the Dish Network is expected to announce a Blockbuster-branded streaming service. Their program will be a direct competitor to the recently criticized and faltering Netflix.

By Maggie Lange
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September 21, 2011 7:51 AM
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Netflix Splits Its DVD and Streaming Business, Hastings Says 'I Messed Up'

Reed Hastings has posted a letter at his Netflix blog (below, the comments are fascinating) admitting that "I messed up," and explaining why he initially separated Netflix's DVD and streaming businesses. Basically, one is the past, which threatens to drag down his company's stock price, and the other is the future, and should continue to thrive and grow. You can tell where Hastings thinks Netflix's future lies because that's the business that's getting the Netflix name. The company that is going to dwindle and die gets called Qwikster. The red envelope will be the same and will add video offerings, but the logo will change. (Here's Techcrunch.)

By Anne Thompson
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September 19, 2011 4:35 AM
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Weekly Wrap: TIFF: Moneyball, Descendants, Deep Blue Sea; Reviews Kevin, The Lady; Media Watch

Box Office:

By Maggie Lange
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September 16, 2011 5:20 AM
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Media Watch: Netflix Takes a Tumble, Google's Propeller, Viki to 10M International Users

Google has a social and news reader in its works, according to sources close to the project. Now called The Propeller, the reader doesn't have a launch date planned yet. [Via Media Bistro]