Beverly Hills, U.S.A. — TV’s most superbly dysfunctional family, the Bluths, are returning next year for an all new season of “Arrested Development,” entertaining, if not exactly edifying, Netflix members in Canada.

“Arrested Development” centers around Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) and his eccentric family comprised of his son George Michael (Michael Cera), his father George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), his mother Lucille (Jessica Walter), his brothers George Oscar Bluth II (Will Arnett), Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) and sister Lindsay Funke (Portia de Rossi), and Lindsay’s husband Tobias (David Cross) and their daughter Maeby (Alia Shawkat).

Netflix members in Canada can catch up with their adventures anytime by watching the first three seasons of the critically-acclaimed Fox show, which went off air in 2006 and are available exclusively on Netflix.

Since launching in Canada in September of 2010, Netflix has continued to increase the scope and quality of content available to its members. In recent months additions have included TV series like the supernatural drama “The Vampire Diaries;” mystery thriller “Pretty Little Liars;” comedy “Community” and Judd Apatow’s cult favorite “Freaks & Geeks;” as well as features like global blockbuster smash ‘The Hunger Games’ (starting on December 31); Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Network;’ ‘We Bought a Zoo’ with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, and the Academy Award winning ‘The Descendants’ with George Clooney.

Netflix Canada has also continued to add great Canadian content, including hit family drama “La Galere;” comedy mockumentary “Trailer Park Boys;” acclaimed documentary ‘Amour Haine et Propagande’ as well as long-running series such as “Dragon’s Den” and “Being Erica.”

“With the excitement surrounding the return of “Arrested Development,” we are thrilled to premiere the new season of the show in Canada at the same time as we launch it in the US,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix. “Our Canadian members have welcomed us since our arrival and we are proud to be able to continue adding a great mix of Canadian, Hollywood and international shows and movies to our Canadian service.”

Mitch Hurwitz, Troy Miller, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are executive producers on the upcoming fourth season of “Arrested Development,” and it is produced by Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox Television for Netflix

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. —  Anderson Merchandisers, one of the nation’s distributors of prerecorded music, movies and books, is now a significant player in the digital world with the creation of Anderson Digital.

Anderson Digital, was launched with the acquisitions of SoPeachi Entertainment and Vanguard Cinema, two firms already well established in the digital content distribution and aggregation space. The LA-based Anderson Digital starts with a library of more than 5,000 TV shows and 1,000 feature films.  With these acquisitions, Anderson Digital launches with distribution capabilities in all segments of the digital marketplace, both domestically and internationally.

Anderson Digital will provide its content partners extensive reach and direct access to the leading digital, cable, and satellite, hotel, and mobile platforms. Current customers include not only the world’s largest digital music provider, but also companies including Amazon, CinemaNow, Hulu, Netflix, Sony Entertainment Network, Toys”R”Us Movies, VUDU and Xbox Video.

“With the industry increasingly moving into the digital world, it is important to us to have a digital presence that can both complement and enhance our capabilities,” said Anderson CEO Charlie Anderson.

Anderson Digital will be run by its Managing Partners, Freyr Thor and Steve Lyons. The company provides a full suite of digital content aggregation and distribution services including not only delivery and artwork, but also digital restoration, artwork, ingestion and transcoding.

Thor has more than 20 years experience in entertainment distribution. As the founder of Vanguard Cinema and a co-founder of SoPeachi Entertainment, he is recognized as an expert in emerging digital platforms. Thor holds degrees in both literature and creative media as well as an MBA. He grew Vanguard to an independent cinema leader with more than 1,000 distributed indie titles. He is also the founder of the Indie Talent Awards.

Lyons has more than 17 years of experience, much of it focused on distribution, business development and new venture launches. In addition to his role as co-founder of SoPeachi he was also the founder of GoGoPop, which provided development of an online and mobile video platform focusing on children. Lyons has served as a Senior Vice President at both Sony Picture’s Home Entertainment and Ascent Media.  He holds a MBA degree from the University of Southern California.

“We are excited to extend Anderson Merchandisers’ distribution and service capabilities to now include digital distribution to all the premium digital platforms, and to be working with Steve Lyons and Freyr Thor in continuing their great leadership in expanding our customer offerings,” said Bill Lardie, President,Anderson Merchandisers.

“This is great news for current and potential customers,” said Steve Lyons, Managing Partner of Anderson Digital. “This enhances our ability to provide unprecedented access to both digital and physical distribution allowing our content partners to get their shows to market through an ever growing number of platforms.”

Anderson Digital Managing Partner Freyr Thor adds, “Bringing these three quality companies together under one umbrella makes us all stronger and better able to offer our clients service and value. We are all excited about the possibilities.”

The new company also starts with excellent content partners including ARC Entertainment, Big Idea Entertainment, Classic Media, Mendelson/ Paws Productions (Garfield and Friends), XLrator Media and 343 Industries/Microsoft Studios.

Image Courtesy : TF28 ❘ tfaltings.de

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With the imminent return of the fall schedule, and an accompanying onslaught of promising pilots, it behooves the American TV-watching public to take a moment to mourn those beloved shows that fell behind. Gone but not forgotten, many of these fan-favourites will be dotting Netflix-instant queues across the nation for months to come. Here are three young, old and middle-aged (in that order) TV gems of 2011 worth remembering:

“GCB”: “GCB”, otherwise known as “Good Christian Belles”, other-other-wise known as “Good Christian Bitches,” was as difficult to understand as it apparently was to name. In bare bones format, “GCB” was a show about a former mean-girl, Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb), who returns to her ultra-Christian, mega-wealthy Texas hometown after her embezzling, womanizer of a husband dies in a car-crash, leaving her and her children destitute and homeless. In returning to her old stomping ground, a now repentant Amanda also returns to the not-so-warm embrace of the community of women she once tortured in her misguided, Rachel McAdams-esque, youth. Hilarity ensues– well, yes and no and maybe. And therein lies the rub of GCB.

It is difficult to deny that “GCB” is a humorous show. Certainly, it has all the hallmarks of humour: there are jokes and everything! But the level of comedy behind the workings of “GCB” is very difficult to gauge. The writing so cheerfully and nonchalantly acknowledges the conservatism of society, in a world coloured by the liberal-tinged glasses of the east-coast media. You were tempted to watch the show as if it is a piece of absurdist satire. Indeed, though the rampant capitalist values and by-the-book devotion of some of the lesser characters are clearly hammed up and, thus mocked, by the creators of the show, the central character herself is a Good Girl who maintains an active involvement in church-life and can smoke a brisket with the best of the all-American carnivores.

Satire or no, though, there was something vivacious about “GCB” that could not be suppressed (until it was canceled, obviously.) Indeed, part of the irrepressible quality of the show no doubt owed itself to some memorably campy-beautiful performances by a great, well-seasoned cast; “JAG”‘s David James Elliott was a particular delight. One can only hope that he, and the other talented members of the “GCB” gang, will find themselves new roles on the TVs and in the hearts of the masses.

“House”: Though one of the most infuriatingly formulaic shows in, possibly, the history of TV, “House” was also the birthplace of one of the most beloved characters ever to have cherished a breathtakingly powerful cult of media personality: the eponymous Dr. Gregory House, a crotchety middle-aged Doctor chock-full of one-liners and prescription drugs.

Unlike in the case of “CSI: Miami”, a veteran TV series which also did not make it to 2012, “House” was successful because, not in spite, of its central dramatis personae. Hugh Laurie, assisted by a capable, and ever-changing cast of secondary characters (some highlights: Kal Penn, Omar Epps and Jesse Spencer), carried eight seasons (that’s 177 episodes!) of a show that invariably followed the same narrative pattern, and hinged on a last-minute medical twist that could only be comprehensible to someone who spent eight years in university earning the right to affix MD to the end of their surname. Thus, the only people who could truly understand the deus-ex-machinas of “House,” are also the people who are too busy actually saving lives to spend hours upon hours watching Hugh Laurie pretend to.

Regardless of these minor plot infringements, “House” deserves its place in the annals of pop-cultural history. To be sure, the current school of medical drama has been stripped of one of its best fictional doctors to ever wield a cane or berate someone named Thirteen.

“Chuck”: An adorable, Revenge-of-the-Nerds-type comedy, “Chuck” was a neatly-packaged show about a computer technician (Zachary Levi) who stumbled his way into the role of an International Superspy. What followed was five seasons of marshmallow goodness.

While not particularly distinguished in many ways, “Chuck” kept it light and fun — a welcome antidote to the button-pushing politics of “Girls” or “Louie” and the brash and in-your-face humour of Seth MacFarlane’s off-colour offspring. Indeed, if one was to praise “Chuck” for retaining any one quality, it would most likely be the show’s ability to remain blessedly innocuous from pilot to finale. Where “Psych,” which strikes much the same demographic chord as “Chuck,” is trite, smug and consequently grating, while “The Big Bang Theory” subtly insults the intelligence of its audience, “Chuck” is in no way painful to watch.

On the contrary, “Chuck” is the kind of show one could enjoy all in a single popcorn-fueled sitting and still remain relaxed and mentally at peace. To put it bluntly, “Chuck” is perfect Netflix-fodder. Perhaps, then, the show’s cancellation should not be mourned as the sad demise of a wholesome Fall stable, but, instead, it should be celebrated as a coming home (to DVD).

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Los Gatos, Calif., U.S.A. – Netflix has announced the availability of “Just for Kids” on Xbox 360, further expanding the availability of the section popular with kids and their parents.

Netflix “Just for Kids” makes it easier and more fun for kids and families to browse and instantly watch a large selection of kid-friendly TV shows and movies. Since introducing the section in August 2011, Netflix members have watched more than two billion hours of kids’ titles.

Now members who enjoy Netflix on Xbox 360 can select “Just for Kids” to enter an experience designed for children 12 and under. Kids can click and instantly watch their favorite characters, including many they will instantly recognize from their favorite shows and movies.

In addition to the character-based selection, “Just for Kids” displays rows of TV shows and movies organized by easy-to-understand genres such as superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs and girl power, featuring clear and simple descriptions of the plot of each title. Unique Netflix technology provides each member with a personalized “Just for Kids” experience based on taste and favorites.

“As a parent of two, I can feel comfortable letting my kids browse and watch titles in the ‘Just for Kids’ section on our Xbox 360,” said David Watson, director of product innovation at Netflix. As always, there are never any commercials displayed on Netflix and independent ratings and reviews from Common Sense Media were used to make the selections. Common Sense Media is a nonprofit that provides independent, trustworthy ratings, reviews, and information to help parents make great media choices.

“We believe that we can make all the entertainment you love even more amazing with Xbox. Using voice and gesture control with Kinect to explore ‘Just for Kids’ makes Netflix on Xbox 360 more personal and engaging for all audiences,” said Ross Honey, general manager, Xbox LIVE Entertainment & Advertising at Microsoft.

In addition to Xbox 360, Netflix “Just for Kids” is available on PCs and Macs, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Apple TV and certain Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and streaming media players. Other devices including tablets are scheduled to follow this year.

With more than 27 million streaming members in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Netflix is the world’s leading internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV programs.

For about US$7.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch movies and TV programs streamed over the internet to PCs, Macs and TVs. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, internet-connected TVs, home theatre systems, digital video recorders and internet video players; Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Apple TV and Google TV.

In all, more than 800 devices that stream from Netflix are available. For additional information, visit www.netflix.com. Follow Netflix on Facebook and Twitter.

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New York, U.S.A. – Smart TV manufacturers are hoping that the popularity of apps with smartphone and tablet users makes its way to the living room. Manufacturers and retailers are selling more and more televisions preloaded with Internet-connected functionality, frequently referred to as Smart TVs. This provides an environment where consumers can use apps to do anything from surfing the Internet using a fully functional web browser, to streaming their favorite movies, TV shows and music right on their TV sets.

Streaming video apps are the most popular apps for both Smart TV owners and consumers who don’t yet have a Smart TV. Three of the top five “must have” apps are Netflix (Owners 47%/Non-owners 34%), YouTube (Owners 44%/Non-owners 31%) and Amazon Instant Video (Owners 34%/Non-owners 23%). Social media giant Facebook (Owners 35%/Non-owners 29%) and online radio leader Pandora (Owners 28%/Non-owners 18%) round out the top five.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,634 U.S. adults (ages 18 and over) surveyed online between May 7 and May 15, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Younger adults (those 18-35) chose YouTube (Owners 57%) as their top “must have” app over the more traditional experience offered by Netflix (Owners 54%) and Amazon Instant Video (Owners 38%).

Almost three-quarters (73%) of non-Smart TV owners indicate that they are not that familiar (39%) or not at all familiar (33%) with Smart TV or Internet Connected TV, despite the fact that shipment data suggests that manufacturers are continuing to ship more and more Smart TVs.

This could be a major barrier to future purchase consideration, as only 7% of those who are not familiar with Smart TV are likely to purchase a Smart TV within the next 12 months. Conversely, non-Smart TV owners with a greater level of familiarity are four times (4x) more likely to purchase a Smart TV, with 29% suggesting that they are likely or very likely to purchase a Smart TV within the next 12 months.

So what?

“Younger adults desire a more social TV viewing experience,” says Manny Flores, Senior Vice President at Harris Interactive.  “With the proliferation of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, younger adults are not only more tech savvy, but are accustomed to being able to share their online experiences with their friends and family. So why not add TV viewing to the list of online experiences to share?”

“As the TV becomes a more overall entertainment device, it is only a matter of time before we see the mainstream use of additional content apps, such as Facebook, being used on the TV,” added Flores. “Yet, manufacturers and retailers evidently have to do a much better job of educating their consumers on what a Smart TV is and the benefits of a Smart TV experience. Increased familiarity appears to be the key to driving purchase consideration. Also, manufacturers need to hope that familiarity with smartphone and tablet apps translates into greater interest and adoption for apps that can be used on a bigger screen in the living room.”

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between May 7 to 16, 2012 among 2,634 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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Beverly Hills, U.S.A. - Global box office smash “Hunger Games” will be exclusively available for Netflix members to watch instantly on August 18 in Latin America and Brazil as part of a multi-year deal between Netflix and Telefilms, the region’s leading distributor of independent films.

Through Telefilms, a broad selection of new hit films will be coming to Netflix, many of them as early as four months after their theatrical premiere, starting with Academy Award Best Picture winner “The Artist” on June 15 and including “Shame” the critically-acclaimed Steve McQueen film with Michael Fassbenderand Carey Mulligan, horror-thriller “The Chernobyl Diaries” and the new Woody Allen film “To Rome with Love” featuring Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page.

Other highly anticipated new movies coming to Netflix from Telefilms are “Ender’s Game,” a science-fiction thriller with Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Abigail Breslin and supernatural mystery, “Beautiful Creatures” with Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum.

Netflix now has more than one million Netflix members in Latin America, and Latin Americans have enjoyed over 100 million hours of Hollywood, local and international movies and TV shows from Netflix.  In the nine months Netflix has been offering its Latin American service, it has more than doubled its content selection, and increased availability to include a wide range of devices including the Xbox, Apple TV, iPad and other tablets and new Smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Sony, among others.

“We are excited to now have such a fantastic flow of commercially successful and critically-acclaimed films for our members in the region,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer. “Telefilms has great taste and a great track record that now extends over 50 years and we are proud to be working with such a distinguished and successful company.

“We are pleased and honored to be part of this strategic alliance with the #1 player in content streaming,” said Telefilms president Tomas Darcyl. “By choosing to work with Telefilms, Netflix is providing Latin American consumers the most appealing and prestigious films available.”

In addition to new movies, Netflix will also be making available for its members to watch instantly such critically acclaimed Telefilms titles like “The King’s Speech,” “Midnight in Paris” and “Biutiful” as well as crowd-pleasers  such as “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Fifth Element” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

Image Courtesy of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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It’s now six years since the Wii’s arrival in the US market, and Nintendo sees it’s time for change. But their competitors, Sony and Microsoft, already breached the HD field in these past few years and they are now looking into expanding further with their Next Gen systems. Will the Wii U stand the trials ahead, or will Nintendo fall into obscurity?

Before deciding the fate of Nintendo, it’s important to look at what information Nintendo released for their next big push in the home console. At E3 on Tuesday June 5th, Nintendo held their Press Conference, pushing the Wii U as well as some of their title games such as New Super Mario Bros U, Nintendo Land, and Pikmin 3 which will be released along with the system this winter. At the conference, Nintendo also released selected details regarding the Wii U ranging from what fans can expect and to details about the new controller.

One of the first announcements from Nintendo of America’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Reggie Fils-Aime, was the clarification that the Wii U will support two Wii U Game Pads along with four Wii-mote plus, nunchucks, and classic controllers. As for the Game Pad, features included are, a touch screen that can be used with either the player’s fingers or a stylus, four face buttons, dual analog sticks, motion gyroscope, rumble feature, headphone jack, camera, mic, speakers, volume control (used for both the Game Pad and T.V.), and a home button for menu navigation and for the social network.

Other features offered for the Game Pad are access to Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Video. The device is also supposed to be able to function as a universal T.V. remote. The biggest feature that is offered for the Game Pad, is the option to play most of Wii U’s games directly on the Game Pad, which gives the option for gamers to play their Wii U games even if the television is occupied.

As for features on the Wii U, the underlying focus of the system is Social Interaction. Upon turning on the Wii U, gamers are dropped into the main hub of their Wii U Menu, which is currently known as Main Street. In the main menu, the gamer’s Miis are dropped in an open environment with Miis from other players all while roaming around in a social network Nintendo calls the Miiverse.

The Miiverse is the peak of Nintendo’s social interaction where gamers can communicate with each other by means of texting or pictochat. The Miiverse also gives gamers the ability to post status updates, high scores,  add game hints to help others through more challenging situations in a particular game (similar to that found in ATLUS’ Demon’s Souls), as well as the option to jump right into a game that has already started. The Miiverse is also announced to be available on the 3DS as well as other mobile devices at a later date.

But the biggest push Nintendo was offering with the Wii U was the Asymmetric gameplay. Since the Wii U gives gamers the option of using the Game Pad or the Wiimotes, this gives gamers the option to have up to five players on the same system (four on the Wiimotes and one on the Game Pad). This was not described much in detail, but continuously brought up, and it became clear by what Nintendo meant with Asymmetric gameplay. In some games, as players use the Wiimotes, the person playing with the Game Pad generally has a special role. In New Super Mario Bros. U, the player with the Game Pad has the option of placing blocks to assist other players or to create obstacles.

In Just Dance 4, the player that uses the Game Pad is known as the Puppet Master, in which during a song, the Game Pad user can pick and choose any dance move he desires to make the Wiimote players do, and even has the option to force the dancers to strike a pose and have them hold it until the Puppet Master decides to choose a different move. This Asymmetric gameplay leaves open new options to future games and can greatly increase the gameplay value of games to come.

With these new updates on the Wii U, the anticipation for its winter release is great, but it is a matter of how its sales do that will be the deciding factor if Nintendo can survive the home console market. The Wii U shows great promise and many gamers continue to anticipate other details that can be expected.

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We may be entering the next age of entertainment. Entertainment began as live shows. Then came radio, then motion pictures, then television, and now the Internet. Until recently, the Internet has been a place for micro-entertainment. Short articles, single pictures, short video clips; it was a place for people to escape one minute, or 140 characters at a time. People flock to the Internet because, besides your monthly bill, virtually all of the fun to be had can be free. If numbers indicate anything, it seems that people are staying home from the theaters, and ignoring primetime TV, so that they can be entertained on their own time, and from their own choosing. However, the Internet is not for micro-entertainment anymore.

The biggest challengers to the seemingly undeniable world of television have emerged in the past couple years as Hulu and Netflix. Not too long ago, no one could have imagined anything challenging TV as the primary form of home entertainment. Executives have ignored the Internet too long though, and the battle has begun. Ever since the institution of instant watch, Netflix has grown into a household name. The ability to stream TV shows and movies over the Internet, on your own time, has led many people to fall in love with convenience. Television and movie production were not intimidated though, because all of the content had to come from them first. But they may not be standing on such solid ground anymore; original content is here.

At the beginning of February, Netflix launched their first original show, ‘Lilyhammer’. ‘Lilyhammer’ is a comedy-drama starring Steven Van Zandt of ‘Sopranos’, as a New York gangster trying to start a new life in Lilyhammer, Norway. All eight episodes of ‘Lilyhammer’ were made available from the start, appealing to the new DVR culture, which prefers to watch entire seasons at once. Many have called ‘Lilyhammer’ a great move for Netflix, while others say the show isn’t TV quality. Either way, it is a step in a new direction of programming that skips TV all together.

Netflix is not free however; you have to subscribe to be able to view their new show. Hulu, on the other hand, is completely free and they have also stepped into the ‘original programming’ arena. On February 14, Hulu launched ‘Battleground’, a political drama-comedy in the fake documentary style of ‘The Office’. Hulu took a different approach than Netflix though; they are releasing a new episode every Tuesday, which is more in line with traditional TV. ‘Battleground’ has received mixed reviews as well, but seems to be gathering a bigger fan base than ‘Lilyhammer’. Technically, ‘Battleground’ is not Hulu’s first original series; they have been airing the documentary show ‘A Day in the Life’, which is approaching its second season, but ‘Battleground’ does stand as their first scripted series.

The emergence and apparent success of these original programs can only make people curious of what will happen next. Youtube is beginning to feature channels that will presumably be putting out original content, and most networks stream their shows on their websites after the TV airdate. Will networks start having streaming only shows? Will Netflix and Hulu start producing more shows? With the lightning speed growth of technology, these steps can only make you wonder; what’s next?

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Hagens Berman announced an investigation of Netflix regarding claims made in a recently filed securities class-action lawsuit, including alleged insider selling by corporate executives, and informed investors of a March 13, 2012, deadline to move for lead plaintiff.

Investors who purchased shares of Netflix common stock between December 20, 2010, and October 24, 2011 (the “class period”), and have lost more than $500,000 are encouraged to contact Partner Reed R. Kathrein.  Kathrein is leading Hagens Berman’s investigation.

The securities class-action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on January 13, 2012. The complaint alleges that Netflix violated federal securities laws by making false and misleading statements to investors during the class period.

Specifically, the lawsuit claims that Netflix knew its short-term contracts with content providers were likely to expire or be so costly to renew that the company would be forced to raise its prices, but failed to timely disclose these details to investors. On July 12, 2011, Netflix announced that it was raising prices for some subscribers, and on July 13, 2011, the company announced a new multi-year agreement with NBC Universal.

Following the news, Netflix stock closed at $298.73 per share. The company then announced on Sept 15, 2011, that it was updating its third quarter 2011 guidance, disclosing that it had lost a million subscribers following the price increases. On this news, Netflix stock price declined by nearly 19 percent, closing at less than $170 per share.

On October 24, 2011, the company disclosed to shareholders a net loss of more than 800,000 subscribers. Netflix stock fell again, closing at $80.86 on Oct. 27, 2011. According to the class-action complaint, Netflix executives sold over $90 million worth of the company’s stock during the class period. The lawsuit alleges that CEO Reed Hastings sold 190,000 shares for $43.2 million. The deadline to move the court for lead plaintiff status is March 13, 2012.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/hackingnetflix/

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Former United States Securities and Exchange Commission attorney Willie Briscoe, founder of The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC, and the securities litigation firm of Powers Taylor, LLP announce that the firms are investigating legal claims against the officers and Board of Directors of Netflix related to potential securities violations between December 20, 2010 and October 24, 2011.

If you are an affected investor and you want to learn more about the lawsuit or join the action, contact Patrick Powers at Powers Taylor, LLP, toll free (877) 728-9607, via e-mail at patrick@powerstaylor.com, or Willie Briscoe at The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC, (214) 706-9314, or via email at WBriscoe@TheBriscoeLawFirm.com. There is no cost or fee to you.

In a recently filed federal class action complaint, Netflix and certain of its officers and directors were charged with violating provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Specifically, the complaint alleges that defendants knew but concealed the following facts from the investing public during the Class Period:

(a) Netflix had short-term contracts with content providers and defendants were aware that the company faced the choice of renegotiating the contracts in 2011 at much higher rates or not renewing them at all;

(b) content providers were already demanding much higher license fees, which would dramatically alter Netflix’s business;

(c) defendants recognized that Netflix’s pricing would have to dramatically increase to maintain profit margins given the streaming content costs they knew the Company would soon be incurring;

(d) Netflix was not on track to achieve the earnings forecasts made by and for the company for 2011.

According to shareholder rights attorney Willie Briscoe: ”Because of the severity of the accusations lodged against certain of Netflix’s officers and directors, we are concerned about the possible damage to the company and its shareholders, and the firms have commenced an investigation to uncover possible breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state law by the officers and directors.”

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As of November, Netflix’s shares closed at $64.92, a gaping fall from a high of $304.79 in July. The jaw-dropping descent of the popular American DVD-rental and online video streaming service, is attributed to a number of egregious errors committed by the company this year.

With 24.59 million members in the United States and Canada, Netflix is an Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows online. It also offers a DVD rental service for an additional $2 on top of its basic online streaming plan for $7.99.

According to Tech Crunch, Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, said in May that, “Streaming is the core of our business and it is growing rapidly. Streaming is much bigger than DVD for us in terms of hours of viewing, growth, and focus. We are seeing massive consumer adoption of streaming.”

To capitalise on its streaming business, Netflix introduced a new pricing system in July which separated the two services, with the streaming plan costing $7.99 and the DVD plan also at $7.99. Selecting both options would cost $16, effectively raising the subscription price by 60% for subscribers.

The announcement, however, was met with an unforeseeable backlash as more than 800, 000 irate subscribers defected in protest of the ludicrous price-hike. In attempt to appease customers, Hastings then announced a scheme to spin-off 2 companies for Netflix’s DVD-by-mail rental and on-line streaming services. However, the announcement was promptly retracted when violent objections arose from all sides.

For a company that began its meteoric rise with effortless access to video entertainment, the move was perceived by many as complicating the rental process.Since then, stock prices have continued to careen.

Last week, the company took steps toward raising $400 million from investors to shore up its balance sheet, selling $200 million of common stock to T. Rowe Price funds, and placing $200 million of convertible debt with the investment fund Technology Crossover Ventures. The purpose of raising capital is to finance Netflix’s expansion plans into the UK and Ireland in the first quarter of 2012.

While financially logical, investors saw the move as underlying the foolishness of the company’s stock repurchases earlier in the year at much higher prices, reports Forbes.

With escalating costs in content investment, Netflix has warned that it expects to lose money in 2012. High-cost ventures into UK and Ireland are also likely to cause the company to incur losses on a global basis in the upcoming year. Barron’s reported on Saturday, November 26th, that it looks as if the company will end up making $4.08 this year and might, at best, make a profit of 75 cents in 2012.

In their letter to shareholders dated October 24, 2011, Hastings and CFO, David Wells, defended their new pricing strategy. “We think that the $7.99 for unlimited streaming and $7.99 for DVD are both very aggressively low prices, relative to competition and to the value of the services, and they are right place for Netflix to be in the long term. What we misjudged was how quickly to move there. We compounded the problem with the lack of explanation about the rising cost of expansion of streaming content, and steady DVD costs, so that absent that explanation, many perceived us as greedy,” Wells said.

In the midst of the immediate bleak outlook, however, there is a silver lining. For one, Hastings is right in that the future of video-watching will be digital.

This has significant financial implications for Netflix. Getting rid of the DVD-by-mail business would allow Netflix to eliminate an array of costs associated with infrastructure and focus instead on investing in content. Moreover, with the amount of money that Netflix has invested in acquiring content, the current valuation makes Netflix an attractive acquisition for competitors such as Amazon and Google.

Netflix remains positive that it will bounce back into a profit-reaping cycle, and is planning to recuperate from domestic losses after launching in the UK and Ireland.

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PRNewswire — Netflix Inc. and Miramax today announced a new multi-year digital licensing agreement that will bring a broad range of acclaimed Miramax films to Netflix members in the UK and Ireland. Beginning in early 2012, Miramax titles will be available for Netflix members to watch instantly in the UK and Ireland streamed over the Internet to connected TVs, tablets, game consoles, computers and mobile phones.

Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. Netflix announced in October that it would launch its service in the UK and Ireland early in 2012. ”Netflix is proud to be able to offer the unmatched mix of award-winning, independent and commercially successful films Miramax is known for,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer.

“Miramax films are already favorites of Netflix members in the U.S. and Latin America and we’re sure they’ll be incredibly popular in the UK and Ireland as well.” ”We are thrilled to grow our partnership with Netflix as they expand their platform into the UK and Ireland,” said Mike Lang, CEO of Miramax.

“This agreement further extends our broader international digital distribution strategy, as we continue to offer consumers around the world our extraordinary collection of Miramax films.”

Additional Miramax titles available to members of Netflix in the UK and Ireland will include The Aviator, Bad Santa, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chocolat, Finding Neverland, Gangs of New York, The Hours, Kate & Leopold, Rounders, Sling Blade, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and several of the Scary Movie, Scream and Hellraiser films.

An extensive selection of legendary Miramax titles is already available to Netflix consumers in the United States and Latin America. With more than 20 million streaming members in the United States, Canada and Latin America, Netflix, Inc. is the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows.

Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, Internet-connected TVs, home theater systems, digital video recorders and Internet video players; Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Apple TV and Google TV. In all, more than 700 devices that stream from Netflix are available.

Miramax is a leading worldwide film and television studio with a library of more than 700 motion pictures.  Miramax sells directly and licenses its titles globally through strategic partnerships including Netflix, Lionsgate, Studiocanal, Hulu and Facebook.

The company had two new releases this past summer: The Debt, starring Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington, and the Guillermo del Toro-produced Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, starring Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce. Collectively, the Miramax library has received 284 Academy Award nominations and 68 Oscars, including four Best Picture Awards.

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Netflix announced it was planning to split its DVD/Blu-Ray rent by mail and online streaming services back in early September. The mail delivery service was branded as Qwikster and video games would be made available for rent as well. Since then the plan was called off and entry into the video game rental market was put on hold as many customers opposed the split.

Subscribers did not like the idea of having to visit a different website and mange a second account to rent movies or video games. Netflix’s stock price has been steadily dropping since the 60% price hike in July and loss of 800,000 subscribers in the last quarter despite the firm’s profits.

Shareholders were also not happy as Netflix would have to spend millions to launch Qwikster when consumers have already established Netflix as a rent by mail service under the Netflix brand. With Netflix’s missteps that leaves one begging the question, is there a legitimate alternative to Netflix?

Angry Netflix users have been on the lookout for something new and there might just be a replacement depending on their viewing habits. Online streaming services like iTunes and VUDU have no monthly fee but the bill will quickly add up from just a few purchases as each rental will cost around $0.99 to $5.99 depending on what it is.

The content per dollar ratio is probably not what Netflix users are looking for. Amazon Prime Instant video and Hulu Plus are much more viable alternatives as they allow unlimited streaming for a monthly fee.

Amazon Prime has the smallest selection but also has the lowest price at $79 a year, and offered a discounted price for college students that subscribed earlier this year, but Amazon has not stated if it will offer that deal year after year. Amazon Prime also has content for rental much like VUDU and iTunes.

Hulu concentrates more on what is current on television offering a free option that allows users to see five episodes of a show’s current season, movies, and in standard definition. Hulu Plus gives access to full seasons, a better selection of movies, and in high definition for $7.99 a month. Hulu uploads episodes a day after it airs on television giving it an edge over Netflix’s usual 28 day wait.

There really is no widely accepted alternative to Netflix at the moment. For $7.99 a month Netflix offers the biggest online streaming selection in movies and television. Hulu Plus is definitely better than Netflix for television fans but it is the other way around for movie buffs.

As much as people argue which is better to have Hulu Plus or Netflix (even though they have some of the same content available) at the moment they should be considered compliments and not substitutes of each other.

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When Netflix announced a price hike in July, almost 600,000 members cancelled their subscriptions. After the announcement, the company’s stock value plummeted by almost half in just a few days. Starz Entertainment, one of Netflix’s biggest source of new movies, decided not to continue its deal with Netflix.

Moreover, the decision by Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, to split the company angered even more subscribers. The company announced that it would separate into two companies on September 18, 2011. Netflix will continue online moving streaming, while the new company, Qwikster, will take care of DVD rentals.

The announcement was part of an apology letter from Hastings in response to the price increase for its services. Before, subscribers paid $10 a month for both DVD rental and online movie streaming. Netflix split the services, and subscribers would pay $7.99 a month for DVD rental and the same additional cost for movie streaming.

That would bring the total to $15.98 if subscribers wanted both, a price increase of almost 60 percent.In his letter, Hastings started with three words: “I messed up.” A video featuring Hastings and newly-named Qwikster CEO, Andy Rendich, soon followed. Hastings apologized again, and offered an explanation for the separation of services.

He addressed the strengths of streaming, and said that DVD and streaming would become more and more different in the future. “We think that the DVD service needs its own brand so that we can advertise it,” said Hastings. Rendich, who was the Chief Service and Operations Officer at Netflix, explained that Qwikster would be the same Netflix DVD rental service that is currently in place, just under a different name. Qwikster will also begin a video game rental service.

Even though Netflix has received mostly negative responses from members, there is some support for the decision. Marc Randolph, the other co-founder of Netflix, said the decision was a good one. “Not only am I completely in support of what Netflix is doing, but I think it is one of the smartest, most disciplined and bravest moves I’ve ever seen,” he wrote on his blog.

Things may be looking up for Netflix. On September 25, Netflix and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. announced that they had signed an agreement. The contract is estimated to be worth almost $30 million per movie, and does not state how many years the deal is effective. However, Netflix will not begin streaming movies until 2013, when it will stream DreamWorks titles released in 2013, as well as certain DreamWorks titles.

The agreement would add to Netflix’s library of movies, which currently stands at 20,000 titles. That is almost twice as much as its biggest competitor, Amazon Prime. Just after Netflix announced its deal with DreamWorks, Amazon and 20th Century Fox closed their own deal, which is estimated to be worth $100 million, and would add 2,000 titles to their library.

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Nintendo sold 3.61 million 3DS’ in its previous quarter. Since then, sales have dropped to 710,000 units in the last three months. Profits have also declined from lack of sales for other Nintendo products. The company lost 25.5 billion yen in the last 3 months ending June 30. They also had to lower profit and sales forecast by 82 Percent and 18 Percent, respectively.

Hearing news of this, Nintendo slashed the price for its latest innovation, the Nintendo 3DS, to $169.99 from its original price of $249.99 — a 30 percent drop. Price will come into effect as of August 12, making for a successful holiday season for Nintendo.

This was not the first price cut they made this year. Due to a drop in sales earlier this year, the Nintendo Wii also went down in price, from $200 to $150 on May 15. In the eyes of the consumer, spending $249.99 on a handheld system is no bargain, when a Nintendo Wii system costs $100 less.

What does this mean for the majority of consumers who have already purchased a Nintendo 3DS?  According to Nintendo, loyal customers will receive 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop. For 10 of those games, Nintendo has no intention of selling them in the future and they are redesigned exclusively for this purpose. Games included on that list are: Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames and Mario vs. Donkey Kong, all originally from Nintendo’s Gameboy Advance console. Starting September 1, those members will also have access to 10 new games before they become available to the public. Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda are some of the games featured on that list.

Another way Nintendo is trying to boost sales and profit is by releasing remakes of Nintendo classics such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart, Starfox 64 and Kid Icarus.

They are hoping that its features will be enough to sell the product as well, with its access to Netflix, they are calling it a must have. In addition, the Nintendo Video service provides access to all sorts of 3D video viewing. Finally, Users have access to the Nintendo eShop, where they can purchase downloadable games, view game trailers and have access to product information.

Satoru Iwata, the president and CEO of Nintendo, is taking full responsibility for their losses, which has led him to voluntarily cut his $2 million pay check by 50 percent. He is not the only one taking a pay cut. Other representative directors are taking a 30% pay cut, and executives are deducting 20 percent from their salary. These will be very favorable moves for shareholders.

Nintendo is in the process of working on a new project, Wii U, which is expected to launch next year. In an interview, Iwata says that this new project will not be cheap and sell for about $250. Due to the company’s sacrifices and innovations, Nintendo expects to see an increase in its profits.

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The movie streaming and rental site Netflix has recently raised its prices with up to 60% more than it currently costs. This means that 24 million subscriber will have to pay $15,98 a month instead of $9,99 dollars. The low pricing scheme has split into two separate plans: $7,99 for unlimited streaming (no DVDs) and $7.99 for unlimited DVDs, one disc at a time (no streaming).

The consequence, as many bloggers have pointed out, is that lot of Netflix users are pretty upset with this decision. Netflix users are not just angry at what they perceive to be the company’s unjust greed; they are stung that one of their favorite companies could ever do something like this, and without any warning at all. Some of the thousands of comments on Netflix’s Facebook page read: “Cancel your subscription, bring down the Netflix stock. Then they will listen to us!”, “They’re getting the same services they got before, but now Netflix is charging much more money for them”, and “Dear Netflix your price increase is a slap in the face in such a horrid economy. I’m cancelling my subscription as we speak.”

In addition, Tony Wible, an analyst with Janney Capital Markets, estimated that 80% of Netflix’s U.S. subscribers currently use a DVD/streaming combination plan and will be affected by the price hike.

Despite the negative consumer reactions, according to PCWorld.com users won´t have better alternatives than Netflix. After making a comparison among the main online rental or streaming services on the market such as; Blockbuster, HuluPlus, Redbox, and Amazon Prime, the online media stated that Netflix prices are cheaper than many of the alternatives while they offer more selection.

Netflix advertised the change as a new choice for consumers. For Netflix, the adjustment is “the latest step in a long-term transition toward becoming a next-generation premium television business,” said Arash Amel, a research director for IHS Screen Digest, noting that the company has made streaming, not DVDs by mail, the core of its business.

Mr. Amel also said further changes to Netflix’s monthly prices should be expected in the next couple of years as the company’s growth rate slows and as it pays hundreds of millions of dollars more to license streams of movies and TV shows.

Some experts think that one reason for the price hike is that Netflix has to buy its content from Hollywood studios who demand a higher price for streaming rights. In June, Netflix stopped streaming Sony movies through its relationship with Starz because of a “temporary contract issue between Sony and Starz.” The issue has not yet been resolved.

However, Netflix swears that higher costs of doing business have nothing to do with the price hike. Netflix´s blog offers this instead: “Why the changes? Last November, when we launched our $7.99 unlimited streaming plan, DVDs by mail was treated as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan. At the time, we didn’t anticipate offering DVD only plans. Since then we have realized that there is still a very large continuing demand for DVDs both from our existing members as well as non-members. Given the long life we think DVDs by mail will have, treating DVDs as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan neither makes great financial sense nor satisfies people who just want DVDs. Creating an unlimited DVDs by mail plan (no streaming) at our lowest price ever, $7.99, does make sense and will ensure a long life for our DVDs by mail offering.”

Will this affect the future of the company? A Netflix spokesman said executives would elaborate on the reasons for the price change when reporting the company’s financial results on July 25. However, those results will not be able to give a realistic picture of how Netflix will do financially in the coming year because, unlike new customers, the current Netflix users will not experience the new prices before September.

Image provided by hapa boy

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So a part of you is a gamer, and you like it. You might be young or you might be a married man like myself. In either case, you struggle to keep up with the urge to get your hands on all the titles being released each month. You end up “playing” these games in your head by watching trailers, reading game reviews online or through your monthly-subscribed game magazine.

But unless you are flush with cash or working in the gaming industry, chances are you aren’t playing as many of the games out there as you would like. Enter the digital world.

Netflix did it for movies. For approximately $10 bucks a month me and my wife can be the movie buffs that we are without going broke and asking our families to lend a hand. But as my huge game collection will attest, change is always hard. I still remember the first time I went into the local GameStop to trade in my old games; there was an uncomfortable stirring inside that I have yet to make peace with really. Lets be pragmatic though, its all about the love of the game, more so than it is about having some huge collection in your closet that you can boast about to whoever will listen.

Which is why I am excited about the future of my gaming experience.

So who will offer the next Holy Grail for gaming and how fast can we be a part of the action? At $60 apiece, I can hardly wait for the Netflix model to kick in. Thankfully, it seems like the beginning of a new era is right around the corner.

Two companies stand out in their efforts to digitize the way we play games. Their ability to do so relies on their different business models as well as their compression technologies, to allow a near flawless streaming experience for their users. Internet service providers, you can start screaming now, a whole new industry in the field of bandwidth hogging players has just entered, and they wanna play too.

Onlive allows you to stream any of the games in their library for just $9.99 a month. As with Netflix though, it takes time to build a decent collection of games, however they seem to be heading in the right direction by constantly expanding the titles available by attracting new licensing contracts with game publishers. Onlive seems to hold its edge in its cheap pricing model for one. But it is also reliant on the ability to play console-based games on a cross platform basis, using your IPad, PC, and smart phones for example.

Gaikai is another company showing much promise in this new gaming digital revolution, albeit in a slightly different direction than that of Onlive. They allow players to stream game demos on their browsers through their favorite game sites or social media platforms (facebook being their main case model in this specific category). The basis of Gaikai’s model is the fact that almost all gamers would prefer to try out game demos before they bring out the dough. This allows them to generate revenue by marketing these games for the publishers and splitting the money three way between publishers, Gaikai and whoever is featuring the demo on their websites.

Exciting as it may be it remains to be seen how they will fare against the competition going out for the same revenue sources, such as Xbox Live or PSN. If anything, their revenue sharing model with affiliates seems to be casting a wider net of possible sources of income than that of their competitors, which seems to be the major oomph in their revenue engines.

As the dynamics of the gaming industry rapidly change for publishers, retailers and everyone else involved in creating and supplying games, life for gamers and how we experience games is changing in pretty significant ways as well. To get more in depth on the issues game publishers and developers are going through right now, I would recommend that you watch some of the awesome short documentary features about the gaming industry on Scott Steinberg’s website.

As for getting access to games for cheap, lets hope the hype of the digital gaming world can live up to its potential, and fast!

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