HBO is out and Netflix is in. With a bid of approximately $30 million per movie, Netflix put together the deal with DreamWorks Animation to send its movies and television specials through the streaming-video company. There was no mention of Qwikster, the company that Netflix is splitting off to handle its DVD-by-mail business, but speculation is that the new company will indeed be included in the DreamWorks content package. The timing couldn’t be better for Netflix as they continue to struggle with several public relations snafus. “This is one of the few family entertainment brands that…

The negativity towards Netflix started a couple of months ago when they raised the prices on their services by separating them out, doing so in a way that most consider rude and careless, but that’s not the most idiotic aspect of what they’re doing. They are taking the largest revenue stream they have in their company and splitting it out into a separate company is something that very few (if any) flourishing businesses ever do (or even consider). As odd as it sounds that they took amazing branding and name recognition and threw half of it out the window is pretty dumb, but it’s not the most idiotic thing…

The Netflix Android app was updated to support mobile devices running Android 2.2 Froyo and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Users who have a Netflix unlimited membership will be able to watch television shows and movies streaming directly from Netflix on their Android devices. Being unlimited, the only limitations would be data plans from the ISPs. The app also allows users to continue watching where they left off on their television or computer. Check out this infographic that compares Netflix vs Redbox….

Those who have watched the evolution of Netflix over the years are probably aware that the company has done an excellent job of keeping current and having their products reflect the current times. That has slowed lately as the movie rental company seemed to have been stuck in a rut, offering few changes when they seemed appropriate. The rut is over. Netflix today announced that they would be changing their plans and pricing to “better reflect the costs of each” and to give more relevant choices. Here’s the breakdown of the new monthly pricing: Mail 1 out at-a-time: $7.99 Mail 2 out at-a-time: $11.99…

There are only two viable scenarios that will come to pass in the near future when it comes to home entertainment. Either Netflix and its 20 million users will force a paradigm shift in the way Big Telecom delivers entertainment or they will be hit so hard by regulations, increased licensing fees, and pay-per-gig throttling of broadband that they’ll have to change almost every aspect of the way they do business. This happy world that we live in now where an affordable Netflix service co-exists with Big Telecom is not sustainable. Something has to give. A recent article on the Washington Post speculates…

Nintendo’s new 3DS handheld game console may prove to be the ultimate device for gaming and entertainment on the go. In addition to letting users view games in three-dimensions, without the need for glasses, the 3DS will offer video content from Netflix and free WiFi connectivity. At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, Nintendo announced its new Netflix deal that will allows gamers to stream video on the go. Additionally, the 3DS will get a wireless 3D video channel, giving users access to content like movie trailers, music videos, and comedy shorts. The device will…

After failing miserably and discontinuing their attempt at “going social” last year, Netflix is giving it another run. This time, they’re getting help from a company that has experience in social media. Their integration will be with Facebook. You may have heard of them. Wednesday, Netflix announced what they described as “an extensive Facebook integration” in a shareholders’ letter that accompanied their quarterly earnings report. While integration with Facebook is becoming more and more common, this particular move is striking because they are planning to change much of the way…

For some time now, net neutrality has been a ’cause celebre’ for web geeks. The idea – that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally, regardless of source, content or intent – is one that’s pretty compelling. It speaks to the democratic ideals of the web as a place where anyone can get their message out as long as they have access to a computer. Yet, lately, a couple of statistics have arisen that might threaten to throw a wrench into plans for enshrining net neutrality into law. First is that during prime time, Netflix consumes up to 20% of all bandwidth. Second is that, during that usage,…

Just last night, on the way home from coffee, we passed a Blockbuster Video that had been gutted of its contents. It was eerily barren for a downtown location. “Well, shit,” I remarked. “Wasn’t this open like, last week?” Speak of the devil. In a press release, Blockbuster has just announced a “pre-arranged” Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, in order to “substantially reduce its indebtedness” from $1 billion-ish to approximately $100 million. Said CEO Jim Keyes of the move: “After a careful and thorough analysis, we determined that the process announced today provides the optimal path for recapitalizing…

So Google is pitching a YouTube pay-per-view service to Hollywood studios that would enable video rentals for five bucks a pop. That’s not… so bad, I guess. I mean, if you’re not already a Netflix convert. But we’ll go over that in a second. YouTube’s pay-per-view is, in fact, not new. Yeah, I was surprised, too. Open since January of this year, YouTube’s rental service has offered video rentals from indie and niche publishers from $1.99 – $3.99. That is nothing if not rad, but so far, no one’s really biting. With only 1500 views in its first weekend (featuring Sundance festival titles), and only…