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Tag: Netflix

  • I want to restore choice and option for consumers, says Netflix’s Ted Sarandos

    I want to restore choice and option for consumers, says Netflix’s Ted Sarandos

    CANNES: For Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos this is the golden age of storytelling. Sarandos was giving a keynote on day two of MIPCOM 2014.

     

    Talking about Netflix and its engagement with the audience, he said, “We have been able to innovate and advance technology that favours the consumer. We have been able to innovate the audience, who are on-demand viewers.”

     

    Netflix which has 50 million paid subscribers in 40 countries, recently launched in France and Germany. Talking about the viewership pattern Sarandos said, “We have been very encouraged with viewing behaviour in France and unsurprisingly, Orange is the New Black is the most watched show in France and Germany for Netflix, in the first couple of weeks and we are excited about it since the shows have not been previously available in these markets.”

     

    According to Sarandos, what works for Netflix is the fact that it caters to the desire of people who have heard about shows, but not been able to see it. 

     

    Netflix offers 70 per cent TV shows and 30 per cent movies, “and that’s the way people watch as well,” he informed.

     

    On his catalogue being small at the time of launch, he said, “What we launch within a new territory is half of the programming that the territory will have in the next 12 months. And we are literally adding content everyday wherever we launch.”

     

    For Sarandos, it is each passing day that gives him the idea of the viewing habits of consumers. “So what you see at the launch is what we know pretty much about the market without even being there and then depending on the viewing behavior, we licence content that people want to see.  So it is an intentional move to launch with less content,” he added.

     

    Netflix also recently launched in Germany and talking about the lessons from the market he said that viewing hours per subscriber was very impressive.

     

    The platform offers consumers the level of choice that they haven’t seen yet. “So while there are a lot of pre-conceived notions, one needs to have dubbed content while also have subtitled programming.”

     

    The platform may also have plans for original French production. “We have found large audiences for existing French content around the world already. We have started working with French animation houses for co-productions,” he said while adding that they have already aggregated a lot of audiences around the world for French shows.  

    So is the business profitable overseas? Answered Sarandos, “We are investing continuously in expansion, we want to be a global company. We are at serious investment phase.”

     

    Sarandos believes that Netflix is a destination for content, for ability to choose and enjoy in one’s own timetable.

     

    The platform which is now also moving into making movies, but doesn’t get involved in writing the script, aims to be active on distribution. “We pick storytellers and let them tell the stories. We don’t dictate creative storytelling,” he said.

     

    Netflix doesn’t want to kill windowing, instead wants to restore choice and option. He also touched upon the point of Netflix’s data analytics. “We use the data to help determine the potential size of the show. The ability to invest in the show was because of the data we had. We didn’t use the data to influence the creative of the show,” he clarified. 

     

    Will Netflix move to sports and news as well? Sarandos quickly said, “It is on-demand that makes Netflix desirable and sports and news are linear events, so we can’t do anything interesting in sports and news right now.”

  • Americans adopt digital apps for Netflix

    Americans adopt digital apps for Netflix

    NEW DELHI: A growing number of American households are relying on dedicated set-top/plug-in devices (otherwise known as Digital Media Players) to watch Netflix on a TV set, according to a GfK study, Over-the-Top TV 2014.

     

    By contrast, video game systems – while still the most common hardware for Netflix viewing on a TV screen – are used much less than they were three years ago

     

    The report shows that 28 per cent of those who stream Netflix on a TV used a digital media player (such as Roku, Apple TV, or Chromecast) to do so; this is nearly double the 2013 level (15 per cent) and roughly five times the 2011 figure (6 per cent). The surge comes as ownership of the players among all homes has increased tenfold – from 2 per cent to 21 per cent – since 2010.

     

    Streaming capabilities built into today’s higher-end TV sets have also become popular, with use of built-in streaming reported by 28 per cent of those who watch Netflix on TV – up from 20 per cent a year ago and 13 per cent in 2011.

     

    On the other hand, reports of watching Netflix on TV through a videogame system have dropped to 43 per cent – down 5 percentage points from 2013, and almost 20 per cent below the 2011 level which was 62 per cent.

     

    The new report also indicates wide generational differences in how people access Netflix. Generations X and Y are twice as likely as Baby Boomers to use a videogame system to watch Netflix on TV. Capabilities built into TV sets are highly favoured by Gen Y Netflix viewers, and both Generations X and Y show strong use of digital media players.

     

    “The wide variations in devices used – and in preferred device by age – speak to a need for Netflix and other SVoD providers to optimise the user experience for each situation,” said GfK Senior Vice President and author of the report David Tice.

     

    “Not only do the device interface and remote control need to be user-friendly, but things like on-screen font size and menus need to be age-appropriate. With a quarter of Netflix users also being Amazon Prime or Hulu viewers, there is a potential battle in user experience as well as in variety and exclusivity of content,” he added.

     

    Meanwhile, Belgian telco Belgacom which has adopted a new identity as Proximus also plans to add entertainment streaming service Netflix to its Proximus TV offering.

     

    Confirming the news, Belgacom Chief Consumer Market Officer Phillip Vandervoort said that Netflix was without doubt a very eagerly-awaited new player. “I’m proud to announce this partnership which reflects the dynamics of our new brand and enables us to offer an amazing experience to our customers on Proximus TV.” 

     

    Netflix started offering its service in Belgium on 19 September, giving people access to a wide variety of TV shows, films, documentaries and other programming, according to Advanced Television.

     

    Installation of the Netflix application on the new-generation decoders will begin at the end of 2014. ‘Ultimately all Proximus TV customers will be able to access Netflix on their TV sets,’ added the telco.

     

     

  • Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos to keynote at MIPCOM

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos to keynote at MIPCOM

    MUMBAI: MIPCOM today announces that Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of the world’s leading Internet TV network, Netflix, will give a keynote address as part of MIPCOM’s Media Mastermind Keynote Series.

     

    Organised by Reed MIDEM, the 30th anniversary edition of the MIPCOM entertainment content market will take place in Cannes, France, from 13-16 October 2014.

    Coming shortly after Netflix expands its European presence, the keynote interview, which will be conducted by Eric Scherer, Director Future Media, France Televisions, will take place from 11.15am on Tuesday 14 October.

    Ted Sarandos has led content acquisition for Netflix since 2000 and is recognised in the industry as a key innovator in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and TV series.

    Netflix, the world’s leading internet subscription service for TV shows and movies, has over 50 million members in more than 40 countries, who watch more than one billion hours of per month.

    Netflix has a burgeoning slate of must-see original series, including “House of Cards”, “Lilyhammer”, “Hemlock Grove”, “Orange Is the New Black”, “The Killing”, the fourth season of “Arrested Development”, “Bojack Horseman” and, coming in December, “Marco Polo”

    Netflix will soon launch in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg, giving broadband users in those countries access to a curated selection of Hollywood, local and global TV series and movies, whenever and wherever they like on TVs, tablets, phones, game consoles and computers.

    Besides North and South America and the Caribbean, Netflix is so far available in the UK and Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

  • Google’s Android eyes TV market

    Google’s Android eyes TV market

    MUMBAI: The fight isn’t limited to content alone; the battle amongst various players is now all about who will come up with a smarter TV viewing experience. Launched recently, Google interface Android TV aims to do just that.

     

    The new interface is an extension of Google’s operating system which will take Android to the living room in the form of its upcoming version Android L. It can run on various products mainly smart TVs, set top boxes (STBs), smart watches and cars. Google’s earlier TV product, Chromecast, that was launched in 2010 as a plug-in device for television sets allowed viewers to send data from their phones and tabs on to the big screen using wi-fi. The product had failed to excite users.

     

    The USP of the new interface is that Android tablets, phones and watches can be used as remote control; all one needs is a D-pad and a microphone to send audio commands. The screen has three parts: recommendations, games and applications. It will also hold custom-made apps such as Netflix, Hulu, Pandora along with its own apps like YouTube, Hangout etc. The smart TV powered by Android TV can also reorganise its screen based on usage patterns.

     

    All of Sony’s HD and 4k (ultra HD), Phillips, Sharp and TP Vision television sets will support Android TV from 2015. Asus and Razor are the only confirmed set-top boxes to have taken up Android TV to focus on gaming.

     

    The software development kit for Android Auto will be launched later with Google’s list of nearly 40 partners such as Bentley, Ferrari, Audi, Ford, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki, Skoda and Honda.

     

    Android TV runs on various hardwares and isn’t restricted to just STBs unlike its competitors Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Its main objective is to enhance the internet viewing experience on television. Google will launch Android TV and Android L simultaneously post September 2014. 

  • Majority of American viewers still prefer TV to other mediums: Study

    Majority of American viewers still prefer TV to other mediums: Study

    NEW DELHI: Television remains the “key” viewer for video in American homes, but video is increasingly coming from the internet which is taking some toll on traditional distribution.

     

    That is one of the conclusions of a new market research analysis by the Consumer Electronics Association.

     

    According to a report given out by the National Association of Broadcasters in the United States, 45 per cent of TV households reported getting some programming on their TVs via internet (from Netflix or Hulu, for example), up a whopping 17 percentage points from 2013’s 28 per cent.

     

    Nearly half of TV households (46 per cent) also watched video on a portable computer (laptop, notebook or netbook), up from 38 per cent in 2013, or on a smartphone (43 per cent, up from 33 per cent in 2013), or on either a tablet (35 per cent, up from 26 per cent in 2013) or a desktop computer (34 per cent, up from 30 per cent in 2013).

     

    Consumers who said they receive internet-based programming are also doing so on other devices, including gaming consoles (50 per cent), Blu-ray players (40 per cent) and services such as Apple TV or Roku (33 per cent).

     

    But internet-only viewers are still a small fraction at 5 per cent, about the same as 2013.

     

    That number could be growing. CEA says that according to figures as of January 2014, 24 per cent of all households had an internet-enabled TV, with 16.1 million app-enabled TVs projected to ship this year.

     

    The vast majority of U.S. households (93 per cent) have used TVs to access video in the past 12 months. Traditional TV programming is primarily accessed through a pay-TV service, with cable claiming half (52 per cent) of that subscriber base with 60 million subs, down from 63 million in 2013.

     

    Satellite services boast 36 million households (31 per cent), up from 35 million in 2013. Fiber to the home video services account for 14 per cent or 16 million subs, up 33 per cent from 12 million in 2013.

     

    17 per cent of TV households receive television programming through an antenna, with only 6 per cent relying exclusively on an antenna for their TV, in line with 2013 findings.

     

    CEA says there has been a seven percentage point decline in the number of homes using traditional pay-TV platforms since 2010, when 88 per cent of households said they subscribed to cable, satellite or fiber to the home. And since 2005, says CEA, cable service subs have declined from 61 per cent to 52 per cent in 2014. Even with the increases over that time for fiber and satellite, total paid subs are still down.

     

    “The decline in traditional pay TV service may be partially attributed to increasingly accessible internet sourced television programming on TVs as well as the adoption and use of alternative video-capable CE devices in homes,” said the report. “Inexpensive streaming options, such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, are also contributing to the overall decline.”

     

    The numbers appear to bear that out. Over the past 12 months, in homes not subscribing to pay TV, “non-subscriber use of notebook, laptop or netbook computers to view video content increased from a quarter (25 per cent) in 2013 to over half (53 per cent) in 2014. Use of smartphones for in-home video consumption increased among non-subscribers from 27 per cent in 2013 to 46 per cent this year, and 27 per cent of non-subscribers now view video content on tablets compared to just 13 per cent in 2013.”

     

    The CEA report found that 10 per cent of pay TV households currently subscribing to cable, satellite or fiber video services said they were “likely” to cut that cord in the next 12 months. Of those, 23 per cent said they were going the all-internet route, with 20 per cent saying they would be getting an antenna and 17 per cent said they were swearing off video entirely.

     

    The report is based on findings of a telephone survey of 1,006 adults, 504 men and 502 women 18 and older, living in the continental United States. The survey was conducted between 24 and 27 April, with 606 landline interviews and 400 by cell phone. The margin of error at 95 per cent confidence is +/- 3.1 per cent. 

  • Sony’s Crackle inks exclusive content deal with NBCUniversal

    Sony’s Crackle inks exclusive content deal with NBCUniversal

    MUMBAI: Crackle – the free video streaming platform – backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment is strengthening its content library. It has now signed a deal with NBCUniversal for the exclusive rights to more than 140 movies over the next three years.

     

    The agreement will see movies such as Ray, Jarhead and the remake of King Kong that will be will be exclusively available on the service but won’t appear on other ad-supported distributors including television channels.

     

    This certainly cements the fact that Sony is much focused on improving its video streaming service, even after Crackle shut shop in UK beginning 1 April. This also shows its willingness to go against the grain of other streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu, which work primarily on subscription models.

     

    This move makes Crackle something of a hybrid, operating as a streaming service but making deals like a television channel. The acquisition of exclusive rights provides the service with what it hopes will be content that draws viewers.

     

    Since it is entirely supported by ads, Crackle’s strategy is to appear on as many platforms as possible. The streaming channel is currently on 27 different devices including gaming consoles, streaming set-top boxes and connected televisions.

     

    Crackle was formerly known as Grouper, which Sony bought in 2006 for $65 million. Its original iteration placed it in competition with YouTube more than streamers like Netflix. Sony decided to rebrand it as Crackle in 2007 as a streaming and movie TV library.

     

    Sony has struggled more broadly, spinning off its TV business and selling its computer division.

  • Sony’s video service Crackle leaves UK shores

    Sony’s video service Crackle leaves UK shores

    MUMBAI: The Sony run video service – Crackle – is no more crackling among UK users and the media conglomerate has had to take the tough call of shutting it down completely from 1 April.  

     

    The company posted a notice about the closure on Crackle’s UK homepage that read: “We’d like to thank all those who have supported and enjoyed Crackle UK. As of April 1, 2014 Crackle’s UK service will no longer be operating.”

     

    Crackle offers viewers free, ad-supported video content, including full-length movies and TV series. The service also operates in US as well as Canada, Australia and close to 20 countries across Latin America, and those operations will not be affected by this closure.

     

    One of the major reasons for the call to shut shop in UK seems to be the increasingly competitive market in the country. Netflix entered UK two years ago and reached out to an estimated 1.5 million subscribers and there is also Amazon, which has been fighting hard to stay relevant by closely aligning its Lovefilm service with its core brand.

     

    Both companies have also tried to outbid each other on content rights for British viewers, undeniably raising the costs for Crackle and any other third-party service to compete. And in the case of Crackle, Sony also had to monetise the service through ads, which may be even harder in a comparably small market like UK.

  • Pokemon set to stream on Netflix

    Pokemon set to stream on Netflix

    MUMBAI: Two seasons of the hit animated franchise Pokémon, as well as two of its movie spin-offs, are becoming available to stream on Netflix beginning today.

     

    The agreement will allow Netflix customers in the US, Canada, Latin America, the Nordic countries, UK, Ireland and the Netherlands to watch the animated adventures. The content includes a season of Pokémon: Black & White, as well as a season of Pokémon: Indigo League. Also featured are the dual films Pokémon the Movie: Black-Victini and Reshiram and Pokémon the Movie: White-Victini and Zekrom.

     

    The popular franchise follows aspiring Pokémon Master Ash and Pikachu, his Pokémon partner, as they embark on several adventures.

  • SVOD subscriptions on the rise, pay-TV subs declining

    SVOD subscriptions on the rise, pay-TV subs declining

    MUMBAI: A new report from the NPD Group reveals that the number of US households subscribing to premium TV channels over the past two years has witnessed a six per cent decline as against an inverse growth spike of four per cent for SVOD subscribers.

     

    The report, The State of SVOD, states that 32 per cent of US households were subscribed to premium TV channels in August 2013, compared to 27 per cent that subscribed to SVOD services. Overall, digital video transactions were up three per cent since 2012, reaching 70 per cent of all home video transactions in 2013. SVOD made up 71 per cent of all digital video transactions, and it continued to increase faster than all other digital acquisition types.

     

    The SVOD service, Netflix, emerged as the clear leader in SVOD. However, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime are receiving the largest growth benefits in the category, as consumers begin to add on secondary SVOD services.

  • Stream TV to display 4KTVs with glasses-free 3D at CES 2014

    Stream TV to display 4KTVs with glasses-free 3D at CES 2014

    MUMBAI: Stream TV Networks is all set to showcase its consumer-ready 4KTVs featuring breakthrough Ultra-D glasses-free adjustable 3D technology during CES 2014. Of the various sizes to be brought to market by the company’s brand partners in 2014, the 50″ and 55″ models will be on display at CES 2014 to be held from 7-10 January at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

    Some of the TVs will be accompanied by the seeCube-4K™, an external device that converts a wide range of content – 2D or 3D stereoscopic sources –  to 2160p glasses-free 3D in real time.

     Stream TV has ported its real time conversion technology to the new Qualcomm 8074 processor, and a second version of the TV will carry the conversion technology built into a chip, significantly reducing costs. 

    Using complex algorithms, the Ultra-D technology converts 1080p/2 million pixel content into a 4K/8 million pixel viewing experience. Users can connect their satellite or cable service, VOD, Blu-ray player, Xbox or PlayStation, as well as watch internet content from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Baidu TV, PPStv, iQYi tv, Totou TV and other video sites with ease.

    “Ultra-D presents a never-before-seen glasses-free 3D viewing experience,” said Stream TV Networks CEO Mathu Rajan in a release. “There’s a lack of 4K content out there, but by generating millions of new pixels with depth information, we truly take advantage of what a 4K screen can offer,” he added.