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☆ The US dollar is strengthening. Here’s what’s driving the rally and what it means for Americans
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What does the dollar rally mean internationally? The US Commerce Department releases March figures on new orders for durable goods. The US Commerce Department releases its first estimate of first-quarter gross domestic product. The US Labor Department reports the number of new applications for unemployment benefits in the week ended April 20. The US Commerce Department releases March figures on household spending, income and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge.

Persons: it’s, Michelle Bowman, Bell, Claudio Irigoyen, It’s, Samantha Delouya, ”, eMarketer, Ross Benes, Wall, Read, Lockheed Martin, Raymond James, Northrop Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Netflix, Verizon, Truist, Albertsons, The Chicago Fed, Visa, Tesla, Pepsico, Novartis, UPS, Lockheed, Banco Santander, Spotify, General Motors, Halliburton, Global, US Commerce Department, Meta, IBM, Boeing, Chipotle, Hilton, Ford, Hasbro, Whirlpool, Wyndham, Microsoft, Mobile, Caterpillar, Comcast, Intel, P Global, Honeywell, Gilead, Northrop Grumman, Valero, Capital, Nasdaq, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Citizens Financial, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, Bank of Japan, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, HCA Healthcare, Colgate, Palmolive, Phillips, Charter Communications, University of Michigan Locations: Europe, Japan, China, Roku

☆ Netflix is the dominant streaming service. So why is it changing its model?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Netflix, the dominant player in streaming, is expected to announce its first-quarter results on Thursday after enjoying months as a Wall Street darling. But much of the company’s past growth and success, analysts say, has come from its old, well-established business model. In recent months, Netflix has made moves to expand and even radically reinvent that business. Last year, Netflix made a particularly risky bet by pushing users who share passwords to create their own accounts — but that paid off. Netflix’s reinventionFor Netflix, last month’s Oscars were a disappointment: Though the streaming service led its rivals in nominations, it took home just one award, for best live-action short film.

Persons: Peacock, ”, Ross Benes, ” Alicia Reese, “, Greg Peters, ” Reese, Reese, Robert Falconer, Amy Reinhard, “ I’m, Peters, We’ve Organizations: CNN, Netflix, Disney, Max, Warner Bros, City, Wedbush Securities, WWE, USA, Rockstar Locations: Hulu, eMarketer, United States

☆ Netflix gained 9.3 million subscribers this year as it adjusts streaming strategy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Netflix, the dominant player in streaming, says it grew sales, profits and added more than 9 million subscribers as it revealed first-quarter results on Thursday. In total, Netflix now has 269.6 million subscribers, a record high. In recent months, Netflix has made moves to expand and even radically reinvent its business in an effort to juice profit. In January, Netflix announced it had acquired the exclusive rights to "WWE Raw" live, currently seen on Comcast's USA cable network. In January, Netflix’s president of advertising, Amy Reinhard, shared that Netflix’s ad-tier had more than 23 million users.

Persons: ”, eMarketer, Ross Benes, Wall, Peacock, ” Alicia Reese, “, Greg Peters, ” Reese, Reese, Robert Falconer, Amy Reinhard, Peters, We’ve Organizations: CNN, Netflix, Disney, Max, Warner Bros, City, Wedbush Securities, WWE, USA, Rockstar Locations: Hulu, United States

☆ The next phase of the war between Walmart and Amazon will be fought on your TV
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Representatives for Walmart and Amazon did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. Walmart currently sells ad space to suppliers on its internal site and app and conducts ad campaigns through promoted posts on external social media sites. Advertisement"Walmart's consumer reach could propel Vizio's ad business to eventually rival Samsung and Roku. In Q4, which included the holiday shopping season for both companies, Walmart reported $173.4 billion in revenue, compared to Amazon's reported $169.96 billion.

Persons: —, Forbes, David Zapletal, Kenneth Suh, AdWeek, Ross Benes, Doug Herrington, Fortune, Seth Dallaire Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Walmart, Hulu, Walmart Connect, Samsung, CTV, Insider Intelligence, Amazon's

☆ Three ‘Grand Theft Auto’ titles are coming to Netflix's mobile game library
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Grand Theft Auto V packaging and the Netflix logo are displayed on a phone screen in this photo taken in Krakow, Poland, on Oct. 18, 2023. Rockstar Games originally released "Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition" for consoles and PC platforms in November 2021 . The release will include "Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition," "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition" and "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition." Netflix announced Wednesday that it will make three "Grand Theft Auto" titles available to play for subscribers next month. "Grand Theft Auto" is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, shipping more than 405 million units worldwide, according to data firm Statista.

Persons: Andreas –, It's, Ross Benes, Andreas, Wall, Greg Peters, we've, Peters Organizations: Netflix, Rockstar Games, Rockstar, Apple, Auto, Vice City, Intelligence, CNBC PRO Locations: Krakow, Poland

☆ Netflix aims to 'crawl, walk, run' when it comes to video games. It's still crawling
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former Electronic Arts mobile gaming executive Mike Verdu joined Netflix as vice president of game development in 2021. Getting existing subscribers to download and play mobile games is a challenge, though, Benes noted. As of September 2023, Netflix's games have been downloaded 70.5 million times, globally, according to data obtained from Apptopia. The beta rollout to limited users Canada and the U.K. included Oxenfree from Night School Studio, a Netflix game studio, and Molehew's Mining Adventure, a gem-mining arcade game. But Netflix is not looking to be a console replacement, Netflix gaming executive Verdu previously told Tech Crunch.

Persons: It's, we've, Greg Peters, Ross Benes, Mike Verdu, Joseph Staten, Benes, Netflix's, Playrix, Candy Crush, King, Peters, Sunny Dhillon, Kyber Knight, Dhillon, Verdu Organizations: Netflix, Intelligence, Electronic Arts, AAA, Night School, Street, Tech, CNBC Locations: Canada

Smartphone with Netflix logo is placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES Oct 19 (Reuters) - Streaming pioneer Netflix (NFLX.O) showed resilience by gaining more quarterly subscribers than in the past three years despite strikes by Hollywood's writers and actors, sending its shares up 13.5% in premarket trading on Thursday. Shares rose to $393.45 in an indication that the company was set to add nearly $21 billion to its market capitalization. "The management deserves an Emmy for managing investor expectations," Bernstein analysts wrote in a note, adding that paid-sharing has opened up a bigger-than-expected market of potential subscribers for Netflix. "Due to its large international presence, Netflix is positioned better than most entertainment companies in plugging programming gaps from the writers' and actors' strikes," said Insider Intelligence principal analyst Ross Benes.

Persons: Dado, Bernstein, Walt Disney, Ross Benes, Benes, Ted Sarandos, Sarandos, Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Chavi Mehta, Gerry Doyle, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Netflix, REUTERS, Paramount Global, Warner Bros Discovery, Writers Guild of America, Intelligence, vise, Netflix's U.S, USA Network, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Netflix may hike prices after success of password-sharing crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The only profitable major streamer, Netflix has resisted joining rivals like Walt Disney (DIS.N) in hiking ad-free prices this year and instead curbed password-sharing outside households to tap the more than 100 million viewers who use its service without subscribing. It could hike prices after the end of the Hollywood actors strike, a media report said earlier in October. So far, most viewers subscribing to Netflix after the password crackdown have opted for the ad-free plans, analysts said. "Using these tactics, Netflix will likely double its ad-supported viewership next year," said Insider Intelligence analyst Ross Benes. Revenue in the third quarter likely rose 7.7% to $8.54 billion, the fastest growth in five quarters, thanks to strong programming that included the latest seasons of "Sex Education" and "Virgin River".

Persons: Dado, Walt Disney, Bernstein, Ross Benes, Samrhitha, Aditya Soni, Sayantani Ghosh, Devika Organizations: Netflix, REUTERS, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, Intelligence, Wall, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Hollywood, Bengaluru

☆ Netflix may tap price hikes after success of password-sharing crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The only profitable major streamer, Netflix has resisted joining rivals like Walt Disney (DIS.N) in hiking ad-free prices this year and instead curbed password-sharing outside households to tap the more than 100 million viewers who use its service without subscribing. "Netflix now closely resembles a utility in many markets," analysts at Bernstein said. So far, most viewers subscribing to Netflix after the password crackdown have opted for the ad-free plans, analysts said. "Using these tactics, Netflix will likely double its ad-supported viewership next year," said Insider Intelligence analyst Ross Benes. Revenue in the third quarter likely rose 7.7% to $8.54 billion, the fastest growth in five quarters, thanks to strong programming that included the latest seasons of "Sex Education" and "Virgin River".

☆ Live sports is migrating to streaming, taking with it a superpower of the cable TV bundle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The cable bundle is losing its biggest edge over the streaming competition: live sports. For years, live sports and news have been the cornerstone of the immutable cable bundle. Max is set to launch a live news channel next week, with the birth of CNN Max, the first cable news network to offer a 24/7 live streaming news service. With live news and sports now making their way to streaming, piece by piece, the Jenga puzzle of the cable bundle has started to destabilize. Once ESPN is available directly to consumers, the decades-long grip of the traditional cable bundle will surely fade considerably.

Persons: Max, CNN Max, ” Michael Pachter, Pachter, ” Pachter, Ross Benes, ” Benes, Benes, ” Rich Greenfield, Greenfield, ” Greenfield, ” Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros . Discovery, MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA, U.S, Soccer, Apple, Major League Soccer, NBC, ABC News, CBS, ESPN, Wedbush Securities, “, Insider Intelligence, Disney, Diamond Sports, Warner Bros, Discovery, LightShed Partners

☆ The media industry is in turmoil, and that's not changing anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

All of this turmoil will be on investors' minds as the media industry kicks off its earnings season this week, with Netflix up first on Wednesday. Netflix, with a new advertising model and push to stop password sharing, looks the best positioned compared with legacy media giants. At the top of the list is contending with Disney's TV networks, as that part of the business appears to be in a worse state than Iger had imagined. The labor fight blew up just as the industry has moved away from streaming growth at all costs. Last week's ruling from a federal judge that Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of game publisher Activision Blizzard should move forward serves as a rare piece of good news for the media industry.

Persons: Mike Blake, Bob Iger, Iger, Bob Iger's, Michael Nathanson, SVB, CNBC's David Faber, Nathanson, Producers –, Mark Boidman, Ross Benes, Benes, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Solomon, Boidman, Random, Paramount's Simon, Schuster, Tegna, Jason Anderson, Peter Liguori, Anderson, HBO Max, Homer, Marge Getty Organizations: Guild of America, Netflix, Alliance, Producers, Reuters, Disney, Disney's, Paramount Global, Comcast, Warner Bros, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Media, Solomon Partners, CNBC, Hollywood, Intelligence, ABC, Paramount, BET, NBC Sports, USA, Discovery, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, dealmaking, Microsoft, Tribune Media, Max, HBO, Amazon, MGM, Sky, Fox Corp, FOX Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, MoffettNathanson, Hulu

☆ Amazon plans ad tier for Prime Video streaming service - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) is planning to launch an advertising-supported tier of its Prime Video streaming service, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The WSJ report also said Amazon was holding discussions with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) and Paramount Global (PARA.O) about adding the ad-based tiers of their streaming services through Prime Video Channels. "In recent years, Prime Video has gotten more aggressive about running promos prior to its shows and including ad-filled sports broadcasts," said Ross Benes, Insider Intelligence principal analyst. Sports coverage on Prime Video already comes with ads. "Officially putting ads into Prime Video allows Amazon to centralize its audience and be more consistent with branding," Benes added.

Persons: Walt Disney, Ross Benes, Benes, Yuvraj Malik, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: Wall Street, Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Global, Paramount, Intelligence, Sports, Prime, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Amazon Ad Tier for Prime Video Could Mean Higher Prices: Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon is planning to launch an ad tier for Prime Video, The Wall Street Journal reported. "In recent years, Prime Video has gotten more aggressive about running promos prior to its shows and including ad-filled sports broadcasts," Insider Intelligence principal analyst Ross Benes said. "Given these developments, putting midroll and pre-roll in Prime Video programs isn't that big of a step." Right now, Prime Video is available on its own for $8.99 per month, but most people get it bundled with Amazon's Prime membership, which runs $14.99 per month (or $139 per year). "Amazon is discussing a variety of ways it could introduce ads in Prime Video, people familiar with the matter said," Toonkel wrote.

Persons: Jessica Toonkel, Toonkel, Ross Benes, Bob Iger Organizations: Prime, Street Journal, Intelligence, Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Amazon ., Amazon's

☆ US TV advertisers will spend close to $20 billion in this year's upfronts
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-25 | by ( Ross Benes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Advertisers will spend $19.90 billion upfront in the 2021-2022 TV season, an increase of 7.6% over the previous cycle. Our upfront TV ad spending forecast includes TV ad spending resulting from the national primetime TV upfronts. In June 2020, we had forecast a 27.1% decrease in that season's upfront TV ad spending. We now estimate just a 3.5% dip, however, as advertisers spend $18.50 billion on upfront commitments with TV networks. When we compare the 2020–2021 season with the cycle two years prior, we see about a $2 billion drop in upfront TV ad spending.

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