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Tag: netflix

  • Lady M teams with Netflix to create Over the Moon mooncake lantern

    Lady M teams with Netflix to create Over the Moon mooncake lantern

    Luxury cake boutique Lady M is serving a limited-edition mooncake lantern to celebrate the musical Over the Moon, in a partnership with Netflix and Pearl Studio.

    Timed to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lady M’s Over the Moon mooncake lantern also marks a rare collaboration with Netflix – and illustrates the potential for seemingly unrelated brands to collaborate on products.

    Lady M’s pastries will come with an exclusive lantern package illustrating scenes from Pearl Studio’s animated musical Over the Moon.

    The lantern features gold and jade colors with laser-cut imagery of characters and scenes from the film with an interactive illumination effect. Inside the lantern is a collection of six individually-wrapped Lady M mooncakes in two flavors – sweet egg custard and chocolate custard.

    Each lantern package comes with a gift bag, a greeting card, an instruction card, and an envelope creating a memorable gift for family or friends.

    The movie Over the Moon tells the story of a bright young girl who builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess. It will begin streaming on Netflix this fall.

  • Here’s how you can win over 83 years of free Netflix service

    Here’s how you can win over 83 years of free Netflix service

    This year, thanks to the global pandemic, Netflix has proven to be a much-needed distraction for those stuck inside. During the second quarter, the company added more than 10 million new subscribers worldwide. And now one lucky person could end up winning 1,000 free months of Netflix service. That works out to more than 83 years of service. You read that right. Who knows? COVID-19  might be eradicated by then. Netflix calls it the “immortal account.”

    To win the contest, you need to play a Netflix original game based on its new action film “The Old Guard.” This is the motion picture version of a graphic novel written by Greg Rucka. Starring Charlize Theron, the film is about a team of “noble mercenaries” who just cannot die. And this immortality is the reason why Netflix is giving away 83 years of service. As the streamer asks, “But how long is immortality, really? Netflix can’t promise a truly eternal subscription to its service, but it can offer the closest alternative: 1,000 months of service, which comes out to a bit over 83 years.”

    The grand prize winner must ring up the highest score while playing Netflix’s “The Old Guard” video game. You must be at least 18 years of age and reside in one of the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia. The contest ends at 8 am PT on July 20th which means that time is a-wastin’. You can play the game as often as you’d like until the contest ends, and the top 10 scores will be posted on a leaderboard.

    The grand prize winner will receive a special code good for 1,000 months of free Netflix service covering two screens. The person who achieves the second-highest score wins the second prize consisting of a code good for one year of free Netflix service for two screens. And the entrant who manages to get the third-highest score playing the game wins a code that can be used to obtain six free months of Netflix for a pair of screens. The codes must be redeemed within one month of their activation which is expected to take place on July 20th. The ARV (Approximate Retail Value) of all of the prizes adds up to $10,169.82.

    “The Old Guard” video game mirrors the events of the movie and in the game, you play the lead character looking to fight off your enemies using a one-handed Labrys. The latter is a giant, double-bladed ax. Netflix hints that getting killed in the game slows you down, so to ring up a high score, you need to defeat enemies quickly, without getting hit.

    While Netflix is the most popular subscription streamer in the world, the company’s estimate for new subscribers during the current quarter was 2.5 million. That is less than half the 5.27 million expected on Wall Street and the company is blaming the shortfall on short-form video app TikTok. Netflix told stockholders that “TikTok’s growth is astounding, showing the fluidity of internet entertainment. Instead of worrying about all these competitors, we continue to stick to our strategy of trying to improve our service and content every quarter faster than our peers. Our continued strong growth is a testament to this approach and the size of the entertainment market.”

    If the U.S. government gets its way, TikTok will be banned in the states because it is owned by Chinese firm ByteDancer. The U.S. is concerned, as it is with all apps and products owned by a Chinese company, that ByteDancer is secretly collecting information that it sends to a server in Beijing. The company has denied this and no evidence to support the allegations has ever surfaced.

    Besides TikTok, a number of new streamers could prove to be competition for Netflix. Disney+, launched last November, is off to a strong start. HBOMax and NBCUniversal’s Peacock are also available to iOS and Android users.

  • Hidden code suggests a change in how Netflix will handle downloaded content on Android

    Hidden code suggests a change in how Netflix will handle downloaded content on Android

    Are you old enough to remember when Netflix’s business model revolved around subscribers receiving CDs by mail? The company’s hook was that it didn’t charge a late fee. And once smartphones started to rule the world, the Netflix app allowed mobile users to view movies and shows on the go. We can fondly remember installing the app on our Motorola DROID back in May 2011.

    By December 2016, Netflix started to allow both iOS and Android users to download certain shows and movies on their mobile devices so that they could be viewed later when the user is offline. This will also allow a Netflix user to download some content that he or she wants to view in Airplane Mode while traveling. There is one downside to downloading Netflix content; if you don’t complete downloading the entire video, it cannot be played. Eventually, when everyone is rocking a 5G phone, this won’t happen since downloading content would take no longer than a few seconds. But for now, such an activity can take several minutes over a 4G LTE network.

    If you’ve decided not to invest in a 5G phone yet, there could be some good news anyway. XDA found some hidden code in the latest version of the Netflix app (version 7.58.0) which suggests that a change is coming. The strings of code found by XDA suggest that Netflix will give users the ability to watch downloaded content even if it has been only partially downloaded. This will allow Netflix subscribers who run out of data or who can’t access their network for some reason in the middle of downloading content, to view at least the part of the movie or TV show they were able to install.

    We don’t know when or even if- this feature will be rolling out to Netflix users, but if it is and it will make your life easier, we know exactly whom to thank. Back in February, a Twitter user named Sanjay Pahuja (@sanjay31051986) suggested to Netflix that the video streamer allow content partially downloaded to be viewable by users. Netflix said that it would take the suggestion under consideration. Now it appears that the company has done more than just that and that the ability to view partially downloaded content is on the way.

    If you don’t have Netflix on your mobile device, you can find the app in both the App Store for iOS users and the Google Play Store for those with an Android device. After a free month of service, Netflix will cost you $8.99 per month for the Basic service that allows you to stream on one screen at a time. The Standard subscription costs $12.99 per month and offers streams to be viewed in HD with two screens able to use the subscription at the same time. For $15.99 per month, the Premium service allows streams to be viewed in HD and Ultra-HD with four screens able to view Netflix at the same time.

    Netflix has released some red hot original series and the second half of the fifth and final season of Fuller House will drop on June 2nd. This series is the sequel to ABC’s popular Full House which ran from 1987-1995 and put the Olson twins on the map. Ryan Murphy’s controversial eight-episode Hollywood series is a fictionalized look at Tinseltown using real-life characters. If you’ve ever watched one of Murphy’s shows, you know what to expect so you know not to let the kiddies view this. But if you’re like many, Hollywood is like a book that you just can’t put down and many have binge-watched the series in one night. The ensemble cast includes Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons and Patti Lupone (Evita). And if you’re in the mood for a dark comedy, the second season of Dead to Me is now available. Starring Christina Applegate (Kelly Bundy from Married with Children) and Linda Cardellini (ER), this is another Netflix original that you can’t get enough of.

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  • Netflix goes down and is now back up as millions breathe a sigh of relief

    Netflix goes down and is now back up as millions breathe a sigh of relief

    Although there are many streaming alternatives like Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Hulu, during the current crisis with so many people stuck at home, Netflix is the service that tens of millions of shut-ins depend on for entertainment. Friends and relatives are watching movies and binge-watching television shows from separate locations and then discussing it with each other via a video chat. But many could only feel isolated and alone when Netflix went down this morning in parts of the U.S. and U.K.
    The morning outage lasted only one hour but must have felt like much longer to those who could not stream their favorite Netflix fare. According to DownDetector.com, starting at 11:43 am ET, the number of complaints received about Netflix rose from 25 to peak at 1,646 by 12:43 pm. 41% of those complaining said that they could not connect to the service. 35% had issues with the video streaming and 23% said that they could not access the service via the Netflix website.
    A Netflix spokesman said, “Some of our members in the U.S. and Europe were unable to use Netflix via our website for around an hour this morning. The issue is now fixed and we’re sorry for the inconvenience.”
    Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and some other streamers have lowered the quality of their streams in certain markets in order to reduce the demands on the internet. With much of the world stuck inside and unable to work from home, the internet is being taxed as it never has been before.
  • Coronavirus outbreak is affecting Facebook services too

    Coronavirus outbreak is affecting Facebook services too

    As more countries enact lockdowns due to coronavirus spreading and order population to stay home, wireless service provides are faced with new challenges. YouTube, Netflix and a couple of other important streaming services have already adjusted the quality of their stream to avoid internet congestion across Europe.

    Facebook is one of the companies that registered unprecedented traffic during the coronavirus outbreak. Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp have become vital apps for those who must remain home if they want to stay in touch with their friends and family. As such, Facebook announced that it’s struggling to maintain the reliability of its services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

    During this emergency, we’re doing everything we can to keep our apps fast, stable, and reliable. Our services were built to withstand spikes during events such as the Olympics or on New Year’s Eve. However, those happen infrequently, and we have plenty of time to prepare for them. The usage growth from COVID-19 is unprecedented across the industry, and we are experiencing new records in usage almost every day.

    And it’s not just the increased traffic that is putting a strain on all Facebook’s services, but the fact that all of the company’s employees are now working from home makes it even more challenging to maintain stability.

    In that regard, the social network giant announced that it will temporarily reduce bit rates for videos on Facebook and Instagram in those regions that are most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the company is now testing and preparing for any issues that might arise in the coming months.

    Unfortunately, the crisis hasn’t reached its peak yet, as more countries are just starting to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak, so we can definitely expect things to get worse in the coming weeks.

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  • Netflix adds new feature that lets you see most popular series and movies

    Netflix adds new feature that lets you see most popular series and movies

    The most popular movie streaming service, Netflix is adding a new feature that will allow its users to pick what to watch based on the popularity of the shows. A long-overdue feature is now making its way to Netflix users on all platforms – top 10 list.

    Those who already got it should see a new row that will feature the top 10 list in their respective countries. Netflix mentions that the names on the list will be updated daily and that the position of the row will vary depending on how relevant the shows and films are to each user.

    In addition to the top 10 list row, Netflix is adding two other features – the top 10 most popular series and the top 10 films. Both will be available when you click on the movies and TV shows tab, so they’re not immediately visible when you open Netflix.

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  • Netflix finally lets users turn off one of its most annoying features

    Netflix finally lets users turn off one of its most annoying features

    Everyone was complaining about Netflix’s autoplay previews, but it took the streaming service quite a long time to do something about it. Although the feature is still active in all Netflix’s apps, we’ve been given the option to completely turn them off.

    It’s been years since we’ve asked for such an option, but for some reason, Netflix didn’t think it should prioritize the removal of autoplay previews. Ironically, in an announcement, Netflix says: “We’ve heard the feedback loud and clear – members can now control whether or not they see autoplay previews on Netflix.”

    We think it’s great that Netflix listens to users’ feedback, but we also believe that it only responds to those requests that fit its marketing strategy. In any case, if you want to turn off Netflix’s most annoying feature, here is what you have to do:

    1. Sign in to Netflix from a web browser
    2. Select Manage Profiles from the menu
    3. Select the profile you’d like to update

    From there, you can check or uncheck the option to autoplay previews while browsing on all devices, including Android and iOS. Keep in mind that the changes might not show up immediately, but one thing you can do to benefit from the new feature is to switch to another profile, and then switch back to reload your profile with the updated setting.

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  • Netflix CEO admits Disney+ hurt it in the U.S.

    Netflix CEO admits Disney+ hurt it in the U.S.

    Netflix on Tuesday announced its fourth-quarter earnings for 2019 and the streaming video company reported the addition of 420,000 net new subscribers in the U.S. during the period. But before you use that stat as proof that the November launch of Disney+ did not effect Netflix during the fourth quarter, guess again. The company expected that it would report 600,000 new subscribers in the states for the period. The 180,000 subscriber shortfall might have been related to the strong start that Disney+ got off to, with 10 million subscribers signed up in the first 24 hours.
    Netflix CEO Reed Hastings admitted after the earnings announcement that Disney+ has “great” content and said that the rival streamer’s strong lineup “takes away a little from us.” While Netflix often falls short of its estimates (it happens half the time, says the Times), Netflix stated that during this past quarter it was impacted by the seven weeks that Disney+ was up and running during the fourth quarter. In the states, Netflix has 61 million subscribers and expects that figure to keep rising until it hits 90 million.
    Netflix added 8.4 million net new subscribers globally from October through December and set company records for the number of subscribers it picked up in Latin America, Asia and Europe during the period. On a quarterly basis, Netflix saw its global subscriber list rise 5.5% bringing the total to 167.1 million customers.
    Netflix will also have some more competition coming starting in the second quarter of this year when NBC Universal’s Peacock streamer launches. The latter’s inventory of content will include extremely popular fare including The Office. NBC/Universal reportedly paid $500 million for a five-year exclusive run for the sitcom on Peacock starting in 2021. The service will have two ad-supported tiers that will be free to Comcast and Cox subscribers although anyone can pay $4.99 a month for the Premium service. Comcast and Cox subscribers can also pay a monthly fee for ad-free streaming.
    Hastings doesn’t expect that Disney+ will negatively impact Netflix in the long term. “Most of their growth in the future is coming out of the linear TV,” the executive said. And frankly, the same might turn out to be true for Peacock.
    During the fourth quarter, Netflix reported net income of $570 million or $1.30 per share. That compares to net of $134 million or 30 cents per share during 2018’s fourth quarter. But last year’s quarter includes a $438 million tax benefit. Revenue rose 30% from the $4.2 billion recorded during 2018’s Q4 to $5.7 billion in 2019. The company announced that The Witcher was viewed by 76 million member households. But Netflix has changed the definition of a view to mean that a subscriber “chose to watch and did watch for at least 2 minutes — long enough to indicate the choice was intentional.” Previously, a viewer had to watch 70% or more of an episode or film to qualify as a view. As a result, Netflix’s future view counts will be hiked by 35%. For example, the number of views credited to Our Planet went from 33 million under the old definition to 45 million using the new definition.
    For the current quarter, Netflix estimates that it will add 7 million net new subscribers globally vs the 9.6 million it added during last year’s first quarter. Netflix expects to see elevated churn levels in the U.S. from January through March. Once again alluding to Disney+, the company’s Chief Financial Officer Spencer Neumann said that Netflix has been experiencing “some elevated churn from pricing and competition.”
  • Netflix wants to produce Vietnamese content

    Netflix wants to produce Vietnamese content

    U.S. streaming service provider Netflix wants to produce content in Vietnam as it seeks to expand in Asia, its CEO has said.

    Speaking at a meeting with Mai Tien Dung, Chairman of the Government Office on Monday, Reed Hastings added that the company, which has set up offices in other Asian countries like India, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, wants to set up one in Vietnam too.

    Netflix has been available in Vietnam since 2016 at VND180,000 ($7.8) a month for a basic subscription.

    It has been seeking to produce and acquire rights for more Asian content to increase the number of global subscribers.

    In September “Hau Due Mat Troi” (Descendants of the Sun Vietnam) became the first Vietnamese series to be screened on Netflix following the screening of movies like “Trung So” (Jackpot) and “Hai Phuong” (Furie).

    Netflix has 151 million subscribers in 190 countries.

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  • Netflix tests feature that helps members quickly find content they like

    Netflix tests feature that helps members quickly find content they like

    If the recommendations made to you by Netflix’s algorithms haven’t excited you in the past, there is good news on the way. Spotted first by a Twitter user named Jeff Higgins, the video streamer is currently testing a feature on iOS devices called Collections. Content is curated by Netflix’s team of experts and the titles are placed in different categories based on factors like genre, tone, storyline and character traits. Some of the different categories include “Dark & Devious TV Shows,” “Prizewinning Movie Picks,” “Watch, Gasp, Repeat,” “Let’s Keep it Light,” “Netflix Is a Joke,” and Women Who Rule the Screen.”

    Those iOS users chosen to test the new feature will find the option to use Collections in the upper right corner of the Netflix homepage where you would normally find “My List.” Tap on a collection category that you find appealing and the page expands to reveal thumbnails of the titles in that specific collection. Above those thumbnails, you’ll see an explanation of what this collection is all about. For example, tap on “Real & Riveting” and you’ll see that the titles in this group are documentaries such as Woodstock, and American Factory.

    “We’re always looking for new ways to connect our fans with titles we think they’ll love, so we’re testing out a new way to curate Netflix titles into collections on the Netflix iOS app,” a Netflix spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch. “Our tests generally vary in how long they run for and in which countries they run in, and they may or may not become permanent features on our service.”-Netflix

    Netflix is under more competitive pressure than ever before. For example, take Disney+, expected to launch this November 12th. For $6.99 a month, subscribers can stream on four screens simultaneously, set up to seven user-profiles and view streaming content in 4K resolution at no extra charge. To get those features on Netflix, a subscriber would have to pay $15.99 a month.

    By offering Collections, Netflix hopes to provide recommended titles that its subscribers want to see. The more time its members stay on Netflix, the less they will feel the need to sign up for a rival streaming service. As the video streamer says on its iOS app, Collections is “an easy way to find shows and movies you’ll like.”
  • Tesla To Soon Get Netflix, YouTube Streaming Support

    Tesla To Soon Get Netflix, YouTube Streaming Support

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that people would be soon able to stream videos on digital platforms like Netflix and YouTube in parked Tesla electric vehicles. “Ability to stream YouTube and Netflix when car is stopped coming to your Tesla soon! Has an amazingly immersive, cinematic feel due to the comfy seats & surround sound audio,” Musk wrote on his Twitter handle.

    “When full self-driving is approved by regulators, we will enable video while moving,” he added.

    The desire to allow drivers and passengers to watch video is not a total surprise – Musk noted at E3 that the ability to watch YouTube was coming, The Verge said.

    Tesla has already unveiled games that drivers can play on the displays in their cars. The games also only work when the car is stationary so that the player can use the steering wheel as a controller.

    On Friday, the company announced that chess game is also coming to the Tesla Arcade.

    But there are huge concerns that come along with such features.

    Test vehicles are required to have a driver behind the wheel to take over in case something goes wrong, and even as self-driving technology improves, it’s hard to imagine that going away completely, the report said.

    In March 2017, an Uber self-driving car crashed into pedestrian in Arizona as the driver was watching The Voice on content streaming platform Hulu and lost track of the road.

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  • Netflix to launch Stranger Things mobile RPG in 2020

    Netflix to launch Stranger Things mobile RPG in 2020

    In anticipation of the third Stranger Things season set to debut on July 4th, Netflix announced a brand new mobile game under the successful franchise. Developed in collaboration with Next Games, makers of The Walking Dead games, the free-to-play Stranger Things mobile game will be released in 2020 on Android and iOS platforms.

    According to Netflix, the game will reimagine the Stranger Things universe in the style of an 80’s Saturday morning cartoon. Moreover, the game will feature location-based gameplay elements and Google Maps integration, which will allow players to explore The Upside Down hidden around them.

    We are huge fans of Stranger Things and thrilled to work together with Netflix to bring our shared vision of Stranger Things into life in a mobile game format. Our core focus will be to deliver on Stranger Things’ rich and intense themes like friendship and supernatural adventure, and translate these into snack-sized entertainment on your mobile device.

    We don’t know if the Netflix and Next Games plan to monetize the game or simply use it for more exposure. Either way, we do know that the upcoming Stranger Things mobile RPG will be free-to-play.

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  • Dialog Axiata enters partnership with Netflix

    Dialog Axiata enters partnership with Netflix

    Sri Lanka’s Dialog Axiata has announced a strategic partnership involving the provision of carrier billing for the popular streaming platform.

    Under the agreement, all Dialog postpaid mobile customers will be able to add their Netflix subscription fee to their monthly bill.

    These customers will also be provided with 5GB of uncharged data per month for Netflix streaming.

    Netflix features including downloads for offline viewing, screen switching and others will be available to Dialog subscribers.

    “Our partnership with Netflix gives our customers access to their stellar catalog of original and licensed content, thereby strengthening the content portfolio offered by Dialog ViU, “Dialog Axiata senior GM for global and content services Mangala Hettiarachchi said.

    “Dialog customers can now watch the best of content available on Netflix on the best video network in Sri Lanka ad free – anytime, anywhere, and on any Internet-connected screen. Customers can activate the service on their mobile and watch on any screen including their smart television.”

  • Ferrari Considering Netflix And esports Involvement

    Ferrari Considering Netflix And esports Involvement

    Ferrari is considering engaging with Netflix on a second Formula One documentary as well as joining the rest of the 10 teams in the esports world championship, team boss Mattia Binotto said on Friday. Ferrari and champions Mercedes did not cooperate on the successful ‘Drive to Survive’ 10-part fly-on-the-wall series filmed by Netflix last season, arguing that they needed to focus on the title battle. When their cars or drivers did feature, it was from the official world feed television footage.”It’s certainly an interesting program. We were not participating last season as Ferrari,” Binotto told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 21 race championship.

    “We are considering it at the moment. We have not taken our final decision, so it’s something we will do in the next few weeks.”

    Formula One’s managing director Sean Bratches said this month that he expected a second series to go ahead, with filming already underway. Ferrari is the only ones without a presence in the official F1 esports championship, which is in its third season and involves the teams only later in the year. Mercedes won both titles last year, as in the real world.

    Binotto said Ferrari’s stance on that could change as well.

    “Esport is increasing in terms of interest and certainly as Ferrari, we are looking seriously into it,” he said.

    “We are not yet fully committed to the program but it’s something where the discussions are ongoing and we will very soon make our own decision.”

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  • Tinder beats Netflix to become the top-grossing non-game app

    Tinder beats Netflix to become the top-grossing non-game app

    Dating app Tinder has beaten Netflix and it is now the top-grossing non-game app on the iOS App Store, according to intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

    Tinder’s revenue soared by 40% in the first quarter of 2019 to reach $260.7 million, up from $183 million from the same period last year, while Netflix’s numbers went down from $255.7 million to $216.3 million.

    But there is a reason for that: Netflix itself stopped paying the so-called “Apple tax”, a 15% cut on all in-app purchases that go through Apple’s systems, and since December of 2018, all new Netflix subscriptions are handled outside of iOS. Apple traditionally charges companies a 30% cut of their subscription revenue for the first year and then drops that number to 15%, but Netflix is said to have had a special deal with the 15% rate available on day 1. Even those 15%, however, workout to a massive amount when you look at the numbers. At an estimated annual revenue of around $850 million, 15% would amount to around $130 million.

    Netflix pulling out of the App Store subscription program (it had already pulled out of a similar program on Android earlier) is basically a reaction to those huge amounts of money that it had to pay to Apple, which provided only the platform. And of course, this move has allowed Netflix to keep more of its revenue to itself.

    At the same time Tinder’s popularity has continued growing and the company has managed to overcome Netflix as the top grossing app.

    Interestingly, if you look at the general picture of things, you see that the majority of the top grossing, non-game apps in this first quarter of 2019 all had something to do with streaming, either for music or for video. Those apps include Tencent Video (a video streaming service popular in Asia), YouTube, Pandora and YouKu (Chinese YouTube alternative).

    And if you look at just the top downloads, you see that messengers at among the most popular ones: WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and others.

    Considering these numbers it really is no surprise to see Apple shift to a portfolio of streaming services of its own. The newly announced Apple TV+ is coming this fall and will open a new world of Apple-original movies and shows headlined by an Oprah show and a bunch of Hollywood honchos, plus it will offer streaming from services such as HBO or Showtime. And then you have Apple Arcade, a brand new gaming service focused on quality releases that do not have pay-to-win written all over them.