By Dawn C. Chmielewski October 22, 2018 | Netflix often touts is personalized recommendations as one feature that differentiates the streaming service from traditional media. But one of the subtle tools it uses to deliver suggestions — carefully selected artwork or images, designed to entice the user to watch a movie or TV series based on past viewing — became the focus of online criticism. Stacia...
By Katie Kilkenny October 20, 2018 | Jennifer Salke on Saturday revealed that Amazon Studios is still refining its film strategy while focusing on creating “addictive, can’t-miss global television” that will lure Prime subscribers and retain them during a lunchtime conversation with attorney to the stars Bruce Ramer. “For us, our sweet spot is this addictive, can’t-miss, global television shows. That lives at...
By Sahil Patel October 19, 2018 |Passionate fans of Korean dramas still exist, but DramaFever, which became the biggest provider of such programming with 13,000 episodes and operations across 12 countries, is no more. On Tuesday, Warner Bros., which acquired DramaFever in 2016, announced it was shutting down the service effective immediately. In a widely circulated press statement, the studio said...
By Gerry Smith October 18, 2018 | Consumers like Emery represent an inconvenient truth for streaming video latecomers. Just 16 percent of U.S. broadband homes subscribe to three or more video services, according to researcher Parks Associates. And nearly two-thirds of TV homes already get at least one of the big three: Netflix, Amazon Prime or Hulu, according to Nielsen. That’s the dilemma...
By Dan Frommer October 16, 2018 | Netflix’s quarterly letter to shareholders, released with its third-quarter results this afternoon, includes the usual discussion of the quarter and the broader industry. But it also includes this great chart, showing its young stars’ grow their Instagram followers after Netflix launches: Read more on Recode. ...
BY RYAN FAUGHNDER October 15, 2018 | Former Paramount Pictures executive Megan Colligan is joining Imax Corp. in a major leadership change for the big-screen movie exhibitor as the company prepares for its future in an increasingly competitive market. Colligan, who mostly recently led marketing and distribution at Paramount, will become president of Imax Entertainment in February, Imax said Monday. Once installed,...
BY NATALIE JARVEY October 10, 2018 | AT&T's WarnerMedia division is prepping a new direct-to-consumer streaming service that will feature its portfolio of entertainment brands, including HBO. WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey on Wednesday announced the new product onstage at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, noting that it is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2019. "You're going to see a stronger...
BY ALEX SHERMAN October 10, 2018 | Seven years ago, Walter Isaacson wrote that Apple founder Steve Jobs told him he'd "cracked" the code on bringing television into the digital age. Seven years later, the world is still waiting. But Apple's not giving up, even if it isn't revolutionizing the industry. Apple is preparing a new digital video service that will marry original content and subscription...
By Mike Fleming Jr. October 8, 2018 | Sources said there shouldn’t be much surprise when an announcement is made as early as later this week about the new Disney-Fox film structure. Alan Horn will be top dog. Several levels below is anyone's guess. There are sharp executives, but they will have to wrap their arms around the fact that a large part of their...
By Todd Spangler October 7, 2018 | Walmart, America’s biggest bricks-and-mortar retailer, is taking its first crack at original entertainment. Vudu, the company’s streaming-video arm, has struck a partnership with MGM under which the studio will create original series based on franchises from its extensive film and TV catalog. Those shows will be exclusively licensed to Vudu for North America, and available on Vudu’s free, ad-supported Movies...
