netflix

Netflix fans, you don't have to avoid Windows 8. Your streaming movies and TV shows will be waiting for you when the latest version of Microsoft's operating system comes out in a couple of weeks.

Appearing in the Windows Store today, Netflix clearly doesn't want to miss even a day of the action when the new OS comes out on October 26.

The app is free for Netflix members and lets them instantly watch thousands of TV shows and movies.

Netflix and the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) have come to an agreement about captions for the company's streaming videos: 100 percent must be captioned by 2014.

The agreement comes by way of a class action lawsuit filed by NAD in 2010 that alleged the streaming service was "failing to provide adequate closed captioning on 'Watch Instantly' streaming video programming," and therefore was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After back-and-forth between the lawyers -- and Netflix working to get the case thrown out -- the two sides finally settled this week.

"We … Read more

Dump Netflix. Buy Netflix.

That's the conflicting advice coming out of Wall Street about the Web video rental service during the past two weeks and it has sent the company's share price on a wild ride. How can investors know which way to bet?

Well, anyone looking for deeper insight should get their hands on "Netflixed," a richly detailed history of the company and its campaign to reshape the home-rental market. The book goes on sale today.

"Netflixed" is a reminder of why the public and business press fell in love with the company … Read more

Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings, who has been of the board of Microsoft since 2007, will not seek re-election at the company's shareholder meeting next month, Microsoft announced. Hastings, who is 52, serves as the lead independent director of Microsoft's board.

In a statement, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, "Reed has been a terrific board member, and his insights and experience have really helped guide us through a critical period of transformation for both Microsoft and the industry."

For his part, Hastings said that he was reducing the number of boards he sits on so … Read more

Analysts are having some difficulty getting a clear picture of Netflix's streaming future -- and its stock is paying the price.

Shares in the Web video-rental service fell 8 percent to $67. 75 in morning trading after Merrill Lynch/BofA downgraded the stock. Yesterday, Netflix closed up 10 percent after Morgan Stanley analyst Scott Devitt raised his rating and boosted his price target to $85.

Last Wednesday, Mark Mahaney, a Citigroup analyst also helped send the stock price up when he called Netflix a "screaming buy." The upgrades were based in part on the belief that Amazon … Read more

Hulu and Viacom today expanded their content partnership to bring Nickelodeon programming to Hulu Plus. Viewers will be able to watch the latest five episodes of current-season Nickelodeon shows on all devices that run Hulu's subscription service. All Nickelodeon programming will be available on Hulu Plus 21 days after airing.

Some popular shows include "iCarly," "SpongeBob SquarePants," and, of course, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"As of today, Hulu Plus is the only subscription-based on-demand Internet … Read more

A couple quick housekeeping notes:

The recent SiriusXM freebie proved disappointing for a lot of folks. Some couldn't sign up at all, others received a confirmation e-mail for the one-year trial -- only to be informed a week later that the trial had ended.

As I noted in my original post, that deal was probably intended for Chevy customers, not the general public. The standard SiriusXM Internet Radio trial is 30 days, so it's not surprising the company quickly clamped down on what was meant to be an exclusive offer. That said, I feel like they should have … Read more

Jeff Bezos might have saved his company some money -- and a lot of trouble -- had he not tried to lowball Netflix back in 1999.

According to "Netflixed," a history of the DVD-and-streaming pioneer that's due to go on sale Thursday, founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph met with the Amazon CEO in 1999, after he indicated he might want to partner with Netflix in some way.

"Hastings also wanted to discuss selling Netflix to Amazon if the price was right," writes Gina Keating, the former Reuters reporter who authored the book. The only … Read more

So much for the rebirth of Blockbuster as a Netflix competitor.

Bloomberg reports that billionaire Charlie Ergen, founder and chairman of the Dish Network, has abandoned his effort to revive the onetime video-rental powerhouse. The original plan was to take Blockbuster retail locations and use them to sell Dish mobile devices, which could in turn be used to stream movies.

But U.S. regulators wouldn't grant immediate approval to a waiver that would allow Dish to transmit data and voice over its satellite spectrum, and Ergen decided to give up on the effort.

It's unclear what Dish will … Read more