netflix

Reed Hastings can't catch a break. The Netflix CEO started 2012 trying to repair the damage from price-hike mistakes he'd made in 2011 and ended the year with an investigation notice from the SEC, which apparently did not like the way he announced some company news on Facebook and on a blog. There was good news, too. Netflix landed a coveted deal to stream Disney-owned content and the total number of streams served by Netflix continued to grow.

Nonetheless, the year reminded Silicon Valley that even the best of executives can make blunders that take months or even … Read more

How do I stream thee, Netflix? Let me count the ways. There's PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, Apple TV, Mac, PC, tablet, smartphone, networked TVs, Roku, and other streaming-media boxes. I've probably missed a few methods.

It seems like you can't turn around without bumping into a device that can stream Netflix. Still, one streaming method has broken away from the rest this year. The PlayStation 3 recently took the crown as the most popular option for streaming Netflix content to televisions, beating out other options like set-top boxes and smart TVs. … Read more

Sharing news on Facebook may have landed Netflix in hot water with U.S. regulators.

The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday gave Netflix and its chief executive, Reed Hastings, a "Wells Notice" regarding how Reed disclosed some information about the company. What that essentially means is that the SEC may take some sort of civil legal action against Netflix because of something Hastings posted on his Facebook wall about a new video-streaming milestone.

The SEC believes Netflix should have made a more formal announcement instead of simply notifying visitors to Hastings' Facebook profile. A Regulation Fair Disclosure, which … Read more

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is starting to look more like the guy who helped Netflix seize an early lead in Internet movie streaming and boost the company's share price last year above $300.

The Web's top video-rental service is being applauded after announcing yesterday that it had reached an agreement to become the exclusive subscription TV service to offer Disney's films starting in 2016. Netflix will get access to new releases from the studio during a span of time known in Hollywood as the pay-TV window, i.e., after the films have appeared in theaters and gone … Read more

It looks like the rumor mill was a little off this time -- Verizon's Redbox Instant won't be launching this month, as was previously speculated but rather in 2013. However, its public beta should be good to go within the next few weeks.

Verizon chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam announced today at an investor conference that after public beta testing the commercial launch of the video streaming and DVD rental service should kick off either at the end of 2013's first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Disney said today that it has signed an exclusive film distribution deal with Netflix starting in 2016.

Netflix will become the only U.S. subscription TV service to offer films from Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney Animation and Disneynature. Wall Street seemed overjoyed by the news. Netflix shares rose 14 percent following the announcement.

To help readers better understand the deal, CNET has put together this FAQ.

Why is this agreement special? It's the first time that Netflix has acquired access to relatively newer movies from one of Hollywood's top six film studios. Netflix has plenty of titles produced … Read more

Three years after Sony introduced Netflix for the PlayStation 3, the two companies jointly announced today that the gaming system stands as the most popular option for delivering the service to the living room.

"PS3 is our largest TV-connected platform in terms of Netflix viewing, and this year, at times, even surpassed the PC in hours of Netflix enjoyment to become our number one platform overall," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said. "PS3 is a natural fit for Netflix in terms of developing and first deploying our most advanced features. We can transparently update our application with new features on a daily basis." … Read more

First the good news: Disney agreed to give Netflix exclusive U.S. access to some of its top movies.

Now, the bad news: The deal doesn't kick in until 2016.

The companies announced today that Netflix will become the exclusive U.S. subscription television service for first-run, live-action and animated feature films from the Walt Disney Studios. Netflix will receive access to the movies after they're made available for sale and rental.

Sure, the delay is a drag. But this is still a groundbreaking deal for Netflix and the entertainment industry. In the past, Netflix has typically obtained … Read more