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Tag: Ted Sarandos

  • 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.

  • Netflix becomes bigger than HBO

    Netflix becomes bigger than HBO

    NMUMBAI: Orange is the New Black may have helped make Netflix the new HBO with investors.

     

    On Monday, Netflix reported a U.S. paid subscriber leap, which according to analysts, puts the streaming service squarely ahead of Time Warner’s HBO.

     

    The advances by Netflix spotlight a winning formula around original programming to attract new membership. Original titles such as Orange is the New Black and the Emmy-winning show, House of Cards, were big attractions for subscribers. Binge viewing of these titles have turned Netflix into a hit maker for the new generation.

     

    Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos remarked that the only reason to adapt the forecast model for the second season of Orange Is the New Black was because they were highly confident in the model and the quality of the show.

     

    Netflix’s U.S. paid subscribers jumped to 29.9 million in the third quarter, up from 28.6 million in June, passing HBO’s 28.7 million, according to market researcher SNL Kagan.

     

    Wall Street investors applauded Netflix’s programming results. Shares of Netflix rocketed 10 percent, at $391.39, in after-hours trading on the news. Overall membership at Netflix soared in the quarter from last year. It also reported more than 33 percent jump in members from last year, at 40 million compared with less than 30 million in the prior period.

     

    Since Orange has been a great success for them, Netflix wants to do more content like Orange.

     

    Netflix quarterly results beat estimates, top to bottom, according to a survey of forecasts from Thomson Reuters. Company net income popped 315 percent, at $31.8 million, compared with a year ago. Revenue nudged past estimates by $6 million on just over $1.1 billion in the quarter. Earnings per share of 52 cents beat analyst forecasts for 49 cents in the period.

     

    Netflix’s international audience jumped by 1.4 million new members from a year ago, driven by Nordic and Netherlands expansion efforts, the company said.

  • Netflix, Disney/ABC Television Group in multi-year licensing deal

    Netflix, Disney/ABC Television Group in multi-year licensing deal

    MUMBAI: OTT subscription service provider Netflix and Disney/ABC Television Group have announced a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive US subscription television service for the Disney Junior show ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘, as well as the Disney XD show ‘Tron: Uprising‘.

    In addition, Handy Manny, special agent Oso and JoJo‘s Circus will also be available for members in the US to watch instantly later this month.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, “Disney and Netflix have shared a long and mutually beneficial relationship and this deal expands on the incredible line-up of Disney content already available for our members. Families love Netflix and we know they especially love the imaginative and high-quality TV shows and movies from Disney. We‘re excited to bring Jake and the Never Land Pirates, a terrific show for families with preschoolers, to our members.”

    Disney-ABC domestic television president Janice Marinelli said, “We are delighted that Netflix‘s members and their young children will be able to experience a selection of tremendously popular original series from Disney Junior and Disney XD. Netflix is a highly valued partner and a terrific platform for families to enjoy these heartfelt characters and entertaining stories.”

    Disney Junior‘s series, ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘ is a music-filled interactive treasure hunt that introduces a crew of kid pirates — leader Jake and pals Izzy and Cubby — and follows their Never Land adventures as they work to outwit two infamous characters, the one and only Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, from Disney‘s Peter Pan. Like all Disney Junior programming, ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘ is guided by an established curriculum that nurtures multiple areas of child development: physical, emotional, social and cognitive; thinking and creative skills, as well as moral and ethical development.

  • Netflix teams up with DreamWorks for original Kids series

    Netflix teams up with DreamWorks for original Kids series

    MUMBAI: Online content platform Netflix has partnered DreamWorks Animation to create the first ever Netflix Original Series for kids based on the highly-anticipated DreamWorks Animation movie Turbo.

    The Netflix series titled Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team) debuts exclusively this December in the United States and across the globe in the 40 countries where Netflix offers its service.

    “Families love Netflix, so creating an original series for kids was a natural for us. And we‘re doing it in a big way by adapting Turbo, this year‘s DreamWorks Animation summer tent pole movie,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

    “DreamWorks Animation has a long track record of creating incredibly successful characters and stories that delight people of all ages. We‘re thrilled to add Turbo the series as well as all new DreamWorks Animation films, starting with their 2013 slate, to Netflix.”
    “Netflix boasts one of the largest and fastest-growing audiences in kid’s television. They pioneered a new model for TV dramas with House of Cards, and now together, we‘re doing the same thing with kids‘ programming,” said DreamWorks Animation‘s CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

    DreamWorks Animation‘s Turbo is a high velocity 3D comedy about an ordinary snail who dares to dream big – and fast. After a freak accident miraculously gives him the power of super-speed, Turbo kicks his dreaming into overdrive and embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the seemingly impossible: competing in the Indianapolis 500.

    The film, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader , Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez , Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Snoop Lion and Samuel L. Jackson, comes to theaters on 19 July.

    Turbo‘s pursuit of racing greatness continues in Turbo: F.A.S.T.: an episodic animated television series that picks up where the feature film leaves off. It showcases the world-traveling exploits of our snail hero and his tricked-out racing crew as they master outrageous new stunts and challenges any villain unlucky enough to cross their path.

    In addition to the original TV series Turbo: F.A.S.T., new DreamWorks Animation feature titles will be made available for Netflix members in the U.S. to watch beginning with the studio‘s 2013 film line-up.

  • Netflix, Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment in multi-year agreement

    Netflix, Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment in multi-year agreement

    MUMBAI: OTT service provider Netflix and Flavor Unit Entertainment, the production company owned by actress Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere, have announced an exclusive licensing agreement for movies in the US.

    In the first-look deal, Netflix will have its pick of movies that will debut on its internet television subscription service shortly after their theatrical release from the company that made films like ‘Bringing Down the House‘ and ‘Beauty Shop‘.

    Beginning later this year Netflix members can exclusively enjoy Flavor Unit titles including the thriller, ‘House of Bodies‘, starring Terrence Howard and Peter Fonda and ‘Percentage‘ starring Ving Rhames, Cam‘ron and Macy Gray.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, “We are delighted to work with Queen Latifah to be the exclusive destination for what are sure to be relevant, entertaining movies. Queen Latifah has a long track record of creating hits and Flavor Unit Entertainment is a fresh and exciting voice in the industry.”

    Queen Latifah said, “Netflix is such a strong brand and the perfect place to showcase our projects”.

  • Netflix makes first episode of ‘House of Cards’ available to non-members for one month

    Netflix makes first episode of ‘House of Cards’ available to non-members for one month

    MUMBAI: OTT service provider Netflix has made available to everyone in its territories the first episode of the drama series ‘House of Cards‘ to enjoy for one month.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, “The creative team in front of and behind the camera have delivered a riveting 13-chapter narrative that we‘re proud to present to Netflix members today. By offering the first episode for free, including to non-members, we are opening up this fascinating world for everyone to see and are confident they‘ll want more.”

    Current Netflix members are now able to watch the entire 13-episode first season of the drama series, in territories where Netflix is available – U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Latin America, Brazil and the Nordics.

    From director David Fincher ‘The Social Network‘, who directed the first two episode ‘House of Cards‘ is based on the BBC miniseries of the same name. This political drama starring Kevin Spacey Robin Wright and Kate Mara slithers beneath the curtain and through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern Washington D.C.

    The show explores power, ambition and the American way. Francis Underwood (Spacey) is the House Majority Whip. Underwood is the politician‘s politician – masterful, beguiling, charismatic and ruthless. He and his equally ambitious wife Claire (Wright) stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy.

  • Netflix announces show ‘Hemlock Grove’

    Netflix announces show ‘Hemlock Grove’

    MUMBAI: OTT subscription service Netflix has announced that its original series ‘Hemlock Grove‘, a mystery from executive producer Eli Roth and based on Brian McGreevy‘s novel of the same name, will be available for members to watch instantly and in its entirety beginning 19 April.

    All 13-episodes of the series, which stars Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgard, Landon Liboiron, Penelope Mitchell, Freya Tingley and Dougray Scott, will debut concurrently in all territories that Netflix is available – US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Latin America, Brazil and Scandinavia.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said," ‘Hemlock Grove‘ is unlike anything else in its genre. It‘s sexy, gripping, emotional and twisted, and we‘re certain viewers are going to be captivated by its intensity."

    The series revolves around the eccentric residents of a dilapidated former Pennsylvania steel town and the murder of 17-year-old Brooke Bluebell. Through the investigation, the town‘s seamier side is exposed, revealing that nothing is what it seems.

  • Netflix pips Starz to acquire movie rights from Disney

    Netflix pips Starz to acquire movie rights from Disney

    MUMBAI: Leading internet subscription service provider Netflix has signed a multi-year premium pay TV window agreement with The Walt Disney Studios in the United States.

    The new multi-year licensing agreement will make Netflix the exclusive US subscription television service for first-run live-action and animated feature films from The Walt Disney Studios.

    The three-year agreement takes effect in 2016 when premium movie service provider Starz‘s deal with Disney-ABC Domestic Television ends in 2015. Starz had signed a new, exclusive long-term licensing agreement for theatrical releases from The Walt Disney Studios.

    Beginning with its 2016 theatrically released feature films, new Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Disney nature titles will be made available for Netflix members to watch instantly in the pay TV window on multiple platforms, including television, tablets, computers and mobile phones.

    Also included in the agreement are high-profile Disney direct-to-video new releases, which will be made available on Netflix starting in 2013.

    Separately, Disney and Netflix have reached agreement on a multi-year catalog deal that brings to US Netflix members Disney movies such as "Dumbo," "Pocahontas" and "Alice in Wonderland."

    "Disney and Netflix have shared a long and mutually beneficial relationship and this deal will bring to our subscribers, in the first pay TV window, some of the highest-quality, most imaginative family films being made today," said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

    "It‘s a bold leap forward for Internet television and we are incredibly pleased and proud this iconic family brand is teaming with Netflix to make it happen."

    "With this cutting-edge agreement, we are thrilled to take our highly valued relationship with Netflix to the next level by adding Disney‘s premier films to their programming line-up," said Disney-ABC Domestic Television President Janice Marinelli.

    "Netflix continues to meet the demands of its subscribers in today‘s rapidly evolving digital landscape, and we are delighted that they will have much earlier access to our top-quality and entertaining slate," she continued.

  • Netflix inks Warner Bros licensing agreement

    Netflix inks Warner Bros licensing agreement

    MUMBAI: A recent research reveals that there has been an explosion in UK OTT usage over the past year. Considering this, on demand cinema provider Netflix has entered a multi-year licensing agreement with Warner Bros.

    Under this agreement, Netflix subscribers will get exclusive access to complete previous seasons of American TV series such as Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Fringe and Chuck.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in the media, "We are thrilled to be the exclusive online subscription home for these incredibly entertaining shows from Warner Bros Television. We are giving fans the opportunity to relive their favourite moments from these programmes while hopefully attracting a lot of new ones who will be able to enjoy these serialised stories from their very beginning."
    Warner Bros International Television president Jeffrey R Schlesinger said, "We are pleased to be able to offer fans in the UK on-demand access to past seasons of these incredibly addictive series. Whether fans discover, catch-up or relive favourite episodes, Netflix is a terrific distribution partner and this deal demonstrates that there is now a viable new outlet for our programming after the initial telecast in the UK."

  • Netflix to produce and globally distribute Tony Bennett doc

    Netflix to produce and globally distribute Tony Bennett doc

    MUMBAI: Netflix in association with its Red Envelope Entertainment division has acquired worldwide rights to produce and distribute a new documentary exploring and celebrating the life and career of the legendary recording artist and concert performer, Tony Bennett.

    “Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends will be directed by Bruce Ricker. Multiple Oscar winner and nominee Clint Eastwood Flags Of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima will serve as executive producer.

    Bennett is beloved as one of the premiere interpreters of the Great American Songbook. The new documentary will follow Bennett’s more than 50 years in the music and entertainment industries against the backdrop of a changing America.

    Weaving seldom seen archival footage with never before seen excerpts of Bennett’s recent premier performance at the Monterey Jazz festival — highlighted by an on-camera interview conducted by Eastwood that explores the essence of Bennett’s artistry — the film will present an exceptional man in a rare way: a living legend through his life, times and music.
    This cinematic portrayal of Tony Bennett caps a year-long celebration of a singer who celebrated his 80th birthday last August. Bennett’s most recent chart topping CD Tony Bennett Duets: An American Classic. It won three Grammy Awards a couple of days ago.

    Netflix says that it is committed to providing consumers with access to the widest variety of films available and, in association with Red Envelope Entertainment, will fully finance the production. An innovative release plan will include DVD rental and sale, online and TV distribution, as well as an event-driven premiere and theatrical release this summer. The film is currently in production at locations around the country, including Astoria, Queens in New York City, where Bennett was born, as well as Hollywood, California.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos says, “The coming together of Tony Bennett and Clint Eastwood — two enduring and iconic figures in the world of American entertainment — is a cultural flashpoint. Netflix spearheading this prestigious project showcases our abilities to bring unique content to our subscribers and, in this case, a global audience.”

    Richter says, “‘Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends is an historical record of an American icon. We wanted the film to reach the widest audience possible and Netflix achieves that goal.”