Wouldn’t you like to bump elbows with media moguls and hear from the likes of Eric Schmidt, Biz Stone and James Murdoch? Me too! Alas, Quadrangle’s Foursquare conference is closed to the public and the press. But at least I can tell you whom you won’t be hearing from.
Would you pay $30 a month to watch TV via iTunes?
That’s the pitch Apple has been making to TV networks in recent weeks. The company is trying to round up support for a monthly subscription service that would deliver TV programs via its multimedia software, multiple sources tell me. The industry finds this idea both tempting and terrifying.
Netflix has been one of the rare winners during the recession/depression: Customers are flocking to the movie rental service and investors love the stock. This meant that expectations were very high for the company’s first quarter, and it appears to have met them.
A New York congressman has a message for cable companies that want drop their all-you-can-eat broadband Internet plans: Don’t even think about it. That instruction comes from Rep. Eric Massa, a Democrat who represents the Rochester area, and it’s aimed specifically at Time Warner Cable, which is starting to experiment with broadband “caps” in Massa’s hometown. But any of the big Internet pipe players contemplating charging their users on a per-use basis–and most of them are–can expect to get similar blowback from lawmakers.
Can troubled video rental giant Blockbuster survive without filing for bankruptcy protection? Yes, says a former competitor, who is betting a few million dollars on that proposition. But if the company does file Chapter 11, Mark Wattles has some protection.
When I first met Avner Ronen two months ago, the Israeli entrepreneur was basking in buzz. Now his Web video start-up has gotten a sobering dose of reality from the television establishment, courtesy of NBC and Fox. But Ronen still thinks he can get big TV, and big cable, to play along with him. He has a persuasive case.
Why did Blockbuster release some of its fourth-quarter numbers today–two weeks before it was scheduled to do so? Because it wanted to impress investors who freaked out on Tuesday when the company had to swat away rumors that it was headed for Chapter 11. Alas, investors are giving the numbers mixed reviews.
The movie rental business is supposed to be recession-proof. That was true for Netflix, which posted great results at the end of 2008 and said this year would be even better. But that hasn’t panned out for Blockbuster, which is reportedly mulling a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing. No confirmation from the company yet, but investors aren’t waiting around to find out: BBI shares are now less than a quarter a piece.
Amazon is set to unveil Kindle 2.0 next Monday at a New York press event. But how many of the original e-book readers has it sold already? Don’t ask Jeff Bezos and company. But Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney figures Amazon sold 500,000 devices last year and that the Kindle will be a billion-dollar business by next year.
Back to grim news: A bad economy and bad timing mean that the DVD business, once a source of strength for Hollywood, is going to be a weakness. “Home entertainment revenue” may shrink five percent or more this year, which is particularly bad news for Viacom and Time Warner.
Netflix executives spent a lot of time yesterday playing up the success of their online streaming video offering, but won’t say how many of their customers are using it. Here’s one educated guess: at least 20 percent.
Everyone knows that online ad prices have been in freefall. So why isn’t Netflix, one the biggest online ad buyers in the world, getting a break on prices?
Here’s another company that looks to be resistant to the recession and may even be benefiting from it: Netflix beat high expectations for the final quarter of 2008, and predicts a gangbusters 2009.
I don’t want the Web on my big screen TV. I do want easy access to Web video, though–especially stuff like Hulu and Netflix on Demand. Enter Boxee, and cue worried cable execs.
Amazon’s data-free claim that it posted its “best ever” holiday season this month has gotten a deservedly skeptical reception. But here’s one vote in favor of Jeff Bezos’s e-commerce giant: A customer satisfaction poll that singles out just Amazon and Netflix for praise.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider.
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
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