Netflix

Netflix is already working on a dizzying number of original shows, but it’s just added a new genre to its growing repertoire of exclusive content. Starting in early 2016, the company will premiere a talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler, featuring guest interviews and jokes about “topical entertainment and cultural issues.” Original shows such Continue Reading →

Netflix goes out of its way to help you to figure out what’s wrong when you get crappy, pixelated video despite that super-fast connection you’re paying for. In addition to calling out ISPs when it thinks they’re the problem, Netflix also provides a handy speed index that lets you see which providers offer the best Continue Reading →

Survey says: we are a Netflix nation. Forty-seven percent of all U.S. households subscribe to Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime or a combination of these services, and 49 percent of all households have at least one TV connected to the internet, according to a new study from the Leichtman Research Group about emerging video services. Continue Reading →

When Netflix agreed to pay Comcast for a direct connection to the ISP’s network, video performance improved immediately. Verizon subscribers aren’t so lucky. Although Netflix and Verizon confirmed on April 28 that they had struck a paid peering deal, performance continued to drop in May and could remain poor for months while the companies upgrade Continue Reading →

Verizon has sent Netflix a cease and desist order demanding that it stop presenting its subscribers with messages that blame Verizon’s network for poor streaming performance. Netflix’s messages are actively meant to knock Verizon — among other service providers — that it alleges have been hurting streaming quality, either actively or through failing to properly Continue Reading →

Do you prefer a night in with Netflix over paying $8 for popcorn at the theater? You’re not alone: Box office revenue has been flat over the past few years while online video revenue has grown dramatically, and this is starting to change how Hollywood makes its money. The new PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Entertainment and Media Continue Reading →

Earlier this year, Netflix signed a Web traffic deal with Comcast, then complained about it. Here’s a new version of the story: In April, Netflix signed a Web traffic deal with Verizon. Now it is telling some of its customers that Verizon’s pipes — and, presumably, other ISP’s as well — aren’t up to snuff. Continue Reading →

Here’s my short list of awesome gifts for dads and grads: If you need a smartphone today… HTC One M8 (MSRP $199 w/ 2-Year Contract) Apple and Samsung have held the “best smartphone” crown for several years, but the best all-around phone on the market right now is the HTC One M8. It’s got an Continue Reading →

Even as the number of paid streaming-video services like Netflix and Hulu become more accessible on gadgets, built into TVs and installed on videogame consoles, people watching video online still prefer free. Google’s YouTube service soaked up 48% of the time people spent watching online video, according to a March 2014 survey by nScreenMedia that Continue Reading →

Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts teased the idea of streaming-video services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime coming to Comcast, as part of a platform that sounds like the holy grail of home entertainment. In a Q&A session at the Recode technology conference in Palos Verdes, Calif., Roberts said the services could eventually be integrated Continue Reading →