Business - BGR

Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph, on lessons from the streamer’s origin story

Andy Meek — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:17:00 +0000

Adam Sandler’s new basketball movie Hustle, in which he plays a scout trying to buck the system to bring a prodigy from overseas to the US, is the top-ranked English-language movie on Netflix at the moment -- thanks in part to its having garnered a staggering 84.5 million hours viewed on the platform in the past week alone, according to Netflix’s latest global Top 10 chart data.

If you drilled down to the individual account level, you’d find that one of the many Netflix accounts that watched the movie in recent days belongs to Marc Randolph, the man who co-founded the streaming service with its current co-CEO Reed Hastings.

When Randolph told me a few days ago that Hustle was the most recent title he’d checked out (and loved) on the platform, it wasn’t hard at all to imagine why a businessman would enjoy the film. Let alone the guy who, along with Hastings, first batted around the oddball idea for what would become Netflix while carpooling to work every day with Hastings back in 1997.

Continue reading...

The post Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph, on lessons from the streamer’s origin story appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

Google forced to pay $400 settlement checks – see if you’re eligible to get one

Andy Meek — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:13:00 +0000

Google and Facebook have existed in fierce competition with each other for years, but that doesn't mean they're not on equal footing from time to time. Case in point: Google settlement checks that are going out later this year offer one such example. Those payouts will give out as much as $400 to approved members of a big class-action case against the search giant.

If this sounds similar to another recent piece of news we reported -- our piece from earlier this week, detailing $400 Facebook settlement checks -- that's because both developments stem from basically the same set of facts. Both Facebook and Google were sued for violating the state of Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Continue reading...

The post Google forced to pay $400 settlement checks – see if you’re eligible to get one appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

Rumor that Netflix may buy Roku has everyone buzzing, but it makes no sense

Andy Meek — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 15:11:46 +0000

If you searched Google this morning for the latest news articles about a juicy bit of gossip that's electrified the entertainment press courtesy of a report from Insider -- the rumor that Netflix might be prepping a bid to buy Roku -- don't be surprised if you feel even more confused after perusing the headlines you see in the search results. "Netflix buying Roku would make a lot of sense," Fast Company declares. "Why Netflix buying Roku doesn't make sense," Yahoo Finance counters.

In other words, experts and analysts are all over the map. And then there's this tweet from the consummate Hollywood insider and entertainment industry whisperer Matt Belloni, host of the fantastic podcast The Town. Personally, this one is my favorite bit of analysis so far.

With a bit of sarcasm directed at the fact that all the buzz seems to be coming from inside Roku, rather than its much bigger streaming rival (which would be another matter entirely), Belloni tweeted: "I would also like my kid’s lemonade stand to be bought by Netflix. Big win for both sides. Everyone internally at my house is buzzing about it, frankly."

Continue reading...

The post Rumor that Netflix may buy Roku has everyone buzzing, but it makes no sense appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

Six ads every hour on Netflix – how does that possibility sound?

Andy Meek — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 15:46:00 +0000

By the end of this year, there's a good chance some percentage of the tens of millions of people with a Netflix account might start seeing ads on the streaming service for the first time.

The acknowledgment from Netflix's leadership a few weeks ago that the company has finally decided to back off one of its sacrosanct pillars -- no ads on the platform -- landed like a bombshell on Wall Street. Not only that, but in tandem with a huge subscriber loss and the announcement of a crackdown on password-sharing, all in service of improving the company's revenue picture, Netflix said the first ads might start showing up soon. As in, later this year.

And while the company hasn't detailed any concrete plans yet along those lines, the investment analyst community has started positing some ideas that could give an idea of how Netflix's plans here might shake out.

Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $20 FREE from Amazon, $89 smart TV, Philips Hue deals, Greenworks tools, more

Continue reading...

The post Six ads every hour on Netflix – how does that possibility sound? appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

Facebook may owe you a $400 settlement check – here’s how to find out

Andy Meek — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 19:12:00 +0000

The other day on Twitter, a business owner decided to ask his followers one of those questions designed to spark interaction and engagement: "What's the weirdest way you've ever made money?" One response brought up Facebook, but not in the way you might think.

Rather than via something like the social network's Marketplace tool, the Twitter user answered, "Facebook just sent me a check for $400 for being creepy with my data as part of some class action thing."

What's more, many of you out there might be able to say the same thing soon. That's because settlement checks for $397 are going out right now, and we've got all the details below. Including what this is for, who should receive one, and when.

Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $20 FREE from Amazon, $89 smart TV, Philips Hue deals, Greenworks tools, more

Continue reading...

The post Facebook may owe you a $400 settlement check – here’s how to find out appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

Flight cancellations: The airline industry has one job, but it’s failing miserably this weekend

Andy Meek — Sun, 29 May 2022 00:01:49 +0000

As the flight cancellations mounted heading into what was expected to be the busiest Memorial Day weekend for travel in two years, an employee at hard-hit Delta Airlines got into what looked like a testy exchange with a customer on Twitter.

"Waiting for Daisy at @Delta to make things right?!?! What is happening??? @delta ??" tweeted Twitter user @ocarroll51 on Friday night.

Per CBS News, more than 1,200 US flights were canceled as of Saturday afternoon. Delta was performing the worst on that score among US airlines, with some 9 percent of its operations (more than 240 flights) eliminated for the day. Moreover, Delta's largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta is having an especially tough time, it seems. Five percent of all Delta flights there were canceled, with 7 percent delayed.

Continue reading...

The post Flight cancellations: The airline industry has one job, but it’s failing miserably this weekend appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

EA in talks with Apple, Amazon, and Disney as it seeks a buyer

Chris Smith — Mon, 23 May 2022 20:33:00 +0000

Apple buying gaming studio EA might seem like a strange proposition, but it wouldn't be the craziest deal we've seen in recent months. Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. Then, Sony got Bungie for $3.6 billion. Microsoft and Sony are active players in the console gaming business, so the acquisitions are logical developments.

Apple isn’t necessarily a top candidate for buying a game publisher valued at $36 billion. But the iPhone maker is interested in making more money from services. It operates its own premium gaming service for iPhone, iPad, and Mac called Apple Arcade. But Apple isn’t the only potential EA suitor. A report claims that Amazon, Comcast, and Disney are also interested.

Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $20 FREE from Amazon, $89 smart TV, Philips Hue deals, Greenworks tools, more

Continue reading...

The post EA in talks with Apple, Amazon, and Disney as it seeks a buyer appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

Here’s the biggest clue yet that Netflix is in trouble

Andy Meek — Thu, 19 May 2022 04:41:38 +0000

Netflix's financial prospects are bad enough at the moment that, following the loss of 200,000 subscribers last quarter -- with a forecast of 2 million more during the current quarter -- the company has gone on a cost-cutting spree. It's trimming headcount and reversing the decision to move forward with a slew of new projects, among other things. And if all that wasn't enough to tell you Netflix is on unsteady footing right now? How about this: An increasing percentage of people cancelling their Netflix accounts are longtime subscribers.

In other words, thanks to a confluence of factors that could include anything from favorite shows ending or getting axed to a preference for Netflix's increasingly adept streaming rivals, more and more Netflix-cancellers are people who you'd have thought would have punched their Netflix loyalty card a long time ago. Yet it's those people, especially, who are increasingly deciding they've had enough and want to stop paying for their Netflix account.

Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $20 FREE from Amazon, $89 smart TV, Philips Hue deals, Greenworks tools, more

Netflix account cancellations on the rise

Data on the longtime subscriber cancellations comes from the research firm Antenna, which shared the numbers withThe Information. In summary, Netflix account holders who'd been subscribed for more than three years accounted for a mere 5 percent of cancellations at the beginning of this year. That figure, however, shot up to 13 percent in the first quarter.

https://twitter.com/OvOBrezzzy/status/1524402151774212096

As dire as all this might sound, though? Across all of tech and entertainment, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings is one of the few people who you probably don't want to bet against over the long term. He, of course, engineered several company-wide leaps forward at Netflix, including the jump from DVDs to streaming. And then from streaming to an emphasis on Netflix making its own original content to stream. It's more likely than not that he'll figure a way through the current trouble.

What's so fascinating about this moment in time for the company, though, is how Netflix has been gradually reversing many of the foundational principles of the streaming service. Longtime aversion to ads? That's gone, with an ad-supported Netflix account tier coming soon. It used to be, also, that everything was meant to be binge-able all at once. Now, many shows follow a weekly release cadence.

Upcoming Netflix titles

Ryan Gosling in the Netflix movie "The Gray Man." Image source: Netflix

All that said, suffice it to say that there's a lot riding on Netflix's upcoming release slate. The hope is that highly-anticipated titles like spy thriller The Gray Man can help reverse some of these trends for the company.

In fact, not only does this feature film include a Marvel star in the cast, and have the biggest budget ever for a Netflix original movie ($200 million). Netflix apparently thinks it'll perform well enough that the streamer is turning it into a franchise. Specifically, a trilogy.

Other prominent upcoming Netflix titles, meanwhile, include the first half of Stranger Things' fourth season. That one is coming next weekend. A new Adam Sandler movie, Hustle, is also coming to the platform on June 8.

More Netflix coverage: For more Netflix news, check out the latest new Netflix movies and series to watch.

The post Here’s the biggest clue yet that Netflix is in trouble appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

New audit backs up Elon Musk’s concerns about fake Twitter accounts

Andy Meek — Wed, 18 May 2022 03:27:46 +0000

Right now, more than 22 million Twitter users follow President Biden's official @POTUS account on the service. That might sound impressive -- until you stop to consider the newly released findings of a Twitter spam audit which found that almost half of the president's Twitter followers seem to be fake.

The software firm SparkToro quantified that amount at 49.3 percent of the president's total Twitter following, and defined "fake followers" and Twitter spam thus: "Spam or Fake Twitter accounts are those that do not regularly have a human being personally composing the content of their tweets, consuming the activity on their timeline, or engaging in the Twitter ecosystem."

This data, of course, comes at what's arguably an inconvenient moment for Twitter, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to acquire -- though he seems to have gotten cold feet in recent days, ostensibly because of this very issue. "Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users," Musk tweeted on Friday, May 13.

Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $20 FREE from Amazon, $89 smart TV, Philips Hue deals, Greenworks tools, more

How many spam accounts are on Twitter?

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1523775142039597060

The SparkToro numbers would appear to blow up that assumption that the number is below 5 percent. You could argue -- and SparkToro does, in some findings near the bottom of this post -- that the president's large percentage of fake followers is at least partly a function of the high-profile nature of his Twitter account. Even so, here's the firm's broader assessment of the Twitter spam problem.

"From May 13-15, 2022, SparkToro and Followerwonk conducted a rigorous, joint analysis of 44,058 public Twitter accounts active in the last 90 days," SparkToro notes in a blog post. "These accounts were randomly selected, by machine, from a set of 130+ million public, active profiles. Our analysis found that 19.42%, nearly four times Twitter’s Q4 2021 estimate, fit a conservative definition of fake or spam accounts (i.e. our analysis likely undercounts)."

Elon Musk vs. Twitter spam

For his part, Musk said on Tuesday (via a tweet, of course) that his $44 billion offer to buy the company is definitely on hold. Until, that is, the company can prove that Twitter spam accounts for less than 5 percent of its user base. "My offer was based on Twitter's SEC filings being accurate," Musk tweeted. "Yesterday, Twitter's CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5% (spam accounts). This deal cannot move forward until he does."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Image source: MEGA

Speaking of Musk, SparkToro's research also found that a huge chunk of Musk's own Twitter followers, like the president's, are fake. Again, from SparkToro's blog:

"70.23% of @ElonMusk followers are unlikely to be authentic, active users who see his tweets. This is well above the median for fake followers, but is unsurprising (to us, at least) for several reasons:

Very large accounts tend to have more fake/spam followers than others
Accounts that receive great deals of press coverage and public interest (like ex-President Trump and Mr. Musk) tend to attract more fake/spam followers than others
Accounts that Twitter recommends to new users (which often includes @ElonMusk) tend to get more fake/spam followers."

Elon's Twitter account

The post goes on to offer some additional context about Musk's Twitter account, which currently shows 93.8 million followers. If you zero in on only the 26.8 million followers of his Twitter account who've tweeted in the last 90 days, though?

At that point, you get a much lower estimation of fake followers. Using that model, SparkToro estimates that only 23.4 percent of Musk's followers represent Twitter spam accounts and the like.

The post New audit backs up Elon Musk’s concerns about fake Twitter accounts appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now:

This US state is about to lose all of its commercial airline service

Andy Meek — Tue, 17 May 2022 13:04:00 +0000

If you were thinking of booking a flight to Delaware soon, you might want to reconsider or figure out an alternative method of transportation. In less than a month, Frontier Airlines is set to end its service to and from Delaware's New Castle Airport near Wilmington. Once that happens, on June 6? Well, the state where President Biden served as a US Senator for 36 years will be the only one in the US without commercial airline service.

This is the second time, by the way, that the low-cost air carrier Frontier -- which blamed its decision on a lack of sufficient traveler demand -- has come and gone from the state.

Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $20 FREE from Amazon, $89 smart TV, Philips Hue deals, Greenworks tools, more

Goodbye, Frontier Airlines

In keeping with its back-and-forth presence in the state, however, a Frontier Airlines spokesperson has left open the possibility that the New Castle Airport (which has the airport code ILG) "will certainly remain in the consideration set" for potential service in the future.

In the meantime, Frontier's departure doesn't completely preclude travelers who come from an extended distance and who want to fly as opposed to driving all the way to the state. There are some easy alternative options that we'll get into below.

Nevertheless, as noted, this does give Delaware the odd distinction as of June 6 of being the only US state with airports that offer no commercial passenger air service. So, how the heck will you get there if you want to visit?

Alternatives for travel to Delaware

You've got a few options:

If you're close enough, as in a neighboring state, you can always drive.

In lieu of driving, you can also take one of President Biden's favorite modes of public transportation: Amtrak.

There are two airports outside the state, that are very close to the state, which you can alternatively fly into. From Baltimore's nearby airport, you've got five transportation options for getting into Delaware. They include train, bus, taxi, and shuttle, or you can rent a car and drive yourself. You're looking at a probably 90-minute trip there.

Philadelphia International Airport is another option. The trip from there into Delaware is roughly comparable, time-wise, to what you'd face coming from Baltimore's airport. And you've got similar transportation options to choose from -- such as a train, bus, shuttle, or renting a car and driving.

Frontier-Spirit merger

Frontier Airlines, meanwhile, is also in the news right now for another reason beyond the Delaware departure. Earlier this year, the air carrier along with Spirit Airlines jointly announced a planned multi-billion-dollar merger. A deal that, as I wrote at the time, would basically combine the two airlines that draw the most ire from consumers into a kind of mega-hated airline.

The merger, however, seems to be going about as smoothly as one of Frontier Airlines' cheap, turbulent flights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ENgTHulz_0

Not to be outdone, JetBlue has gone hostile in its own bid to acquire Spirit for the third time. On Monday, per news reports, we learned that JetBlue is taking its case directly to Spirit's shareholders. Its goal is to convince the airline to sit down at the table and strike a bargain, edging out Frontier.

The post This US state is about to lose all of its commercial airline service appeared first on BGR.

Today's Top Deals

Trending Right Now: