Hacking NetFlix

Netflix Caption Update: 80% of Streaming Hours Captioned

Update: As noted by a number of readers and Tech of the Hub, Netflix hasn't provided captions for 80% of the streaming titles, they've captioned "80% of hours streamed." About half of all titles have captions, but Netflix has focused on the most popular titles first.

Netflix posted an update on captioning, stating that 80% of streaming hours have been captioned. 

In mid December, we reached our captioning goal for 2011, when more than 80% of the hours streamed in the US were of content with captions or subtitles available.  Thanks to hard work from our captioning team, we made significant strides from 40% in June and 60% in September.

We continue to require captions or subtitles from our providers for all new content where it is available, and we continue to author captions or subtitles for significant new content where it is missing.  Our goal is to provide more and more content with captions; however, viewers should expect the gap on the last 20% to narrow more slowly than in 2011, since it includes a large number of titles that are rarely watched, so each hour of captioning added adds less and less to the overall metric.

If you have an older BD player, set-top box or TV you might not get captions because the firmware might not be upgradable. 

You can view the list of titles with captions through this link, the link at the bottom of each page on the Netflix site, or by searching for "subtitles."

NY Times: Netflix Shifting Focus to TV Shows

The NY Times has an interesting story about Netflix, "Once Film-Focused, Netflix Shifts to TV Shows." The story discusses the end of the Starz deal:

It became clear about a year ago that the deal would not be renewed. By then, though, Netflix was bulking up on old TV episodes and, in a direct challenge to HBO, beginning to distribute its own original shows for the streaming service.

Analysts say the prioritizing of television partly explains why the company has been able to retain about 21.7 million streaming subscribers in the United States — totaling one in four households that have broadband — despite complaints about an inadequate feature film selection. It’s a transition that Netflix has made rather successfully in the last six to 12 months, in stark contrast to its botched plan to spin off DVD-by-mail into a separate company called Qwikster last fall.

The story reports that Starz content only accounted for about 2% of streaming, down from about 8% last year.

Do you watch more movies or TV shows on Netflix? Do you think Netflix should be licensing more movies or TV shows?

Netflix CEO Says Your Next TV Will Be a Giant iPad; No Decision on Epix Renewal Yet

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telcom conference on Tuesday, and he talked about competition, the industry, and the future of Netflix.

Hastings estimates that a billion people will have 100mb Internet service by the end of this decade, and TVs in the next few years will be "giant iPad's" with apps, touch and voice control. He said that the industry started with broadcast networks and a few channels, evolved into cable networks, and now Internet networks. 

Hastings siad that Netflix was forced to pay high prices for content because nobody would license a show or movie if it was sold to Netflix. If you're wondering if Netflix will renew the Epix deal, no decision has been made yet.

Could Netflix be an upsell for cable networks? Sure, but not immediately. 

He also said that all Netflix original content would be exclusive to Netflix, not surprising since Netflix is duplicating the HBO model. Hastings observed that HBO spends 40% of their content budget on original shows, something Netflix might duplicate.

When asked about a long-term vision (appropriate, given the changes last year), Hastings said that Netflix will be a "A service with  huge numbers of subscribers around the world, a global service, a mix of movies and TV shows, some original, some licensed. Great content thats an increasing viewing share to consumers around the world. Every TV sold features Netflix, every TV has a red Netflix button."

A recording of the talk is available on the Netflix investor website.

Disney CFO Says Licensing to Netflix Gives Content a Second Life

Hollywood Reporter writes that Disney CFO Jay Rasulo mentioned Netflix earlier today at the Morgan Stanley conference.

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco, Rasulo said that consumers are “willing to pay for portability.”

He also said Netflix’s emergence as a powerful online distributor “kind of keeps you on your game,” and that licensing to it and its competitors gives content “a second life.”

Netflix in Talks with Univision for More Spanish Streaming Shows for the U.S.

The NY Post reports that Netflix is in talks with Univision to add more Spanish-language streaming shows in the US.

Netflix Inc. is nearing an accord to provide US online customers with Spanish-language programming from Univision Communications, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

The deal, when concluded, is expected to include programs from Mexico City-based Grupo Televisa SAB, the world’s largest Spanishlanguage broadcaster.

Netflix's Ted Sarandos Blogs about the Oscars; The Artist & Hugo on Streaming This Year

Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos wrote about the Academy Awards on the Netflix blog:

The two biggest winners this year were "The Artist" and "Hugo." Both films celebrate the world's passion for the history of movies. "The Artist," using classic moviemaking techniques, is presented in black and white and without dialogue, while "Hugo," employs Hollywood’s latest technical artistry to present a dazzling experience in 3D to theatrical audiences.

These films have three things in common; a love for cinema, five Oscars and both will be coming to Netflix later this year. Other big Netflix winners were Best Documentary Feature "Undefeated" and Best Animated Feature "Rango."

Sarandos also notes that box office winners Act of Valor and Good Deeds will also premier on Netflix first instead of pay TV. 

Have You Seen Any Strange Netflix Categories Lately?

There's a fun Twitter account that is posting some interesting suggestions for Netflix categories on @NewCategories (thanks, Jordan). 

Reader Daniel noticed an interesting related question from Netflix about his movie viewing habits:

Have you seen any strange categories from Netflix? Have any suggestions for new categories?

Will You Miss Any of the Starz Movies Expiring Tomorrow?

The Starz deal with Netflix ends tomorrow, and Gizmodo has posted a list of the top 20+ movies that will be missed, including Toy Story 3, Tron: Legacy, Elizabeth, JFK: Special Edition, Tank Girl, Airport, Beetlejuice, Ronin, and more. Netflix has said that the Starz titles only account for a small percentage of viewing, but there a lot of movies expiring (you can see the full list of almost 850 titles at TV & Movies Now). 

What Starz title(s) will you miss the most?

Thanks to Jeff for suggesting this.

Netflix New Releases for February 28th, 2012

Here's the full list of new Netflix DVD releases this week (detailed list): Hugo, Dream House, In Time, I Melt with You, Beneath the Darkness, Stephen King's Bag of Bones, The Big Year, InSight, The Catechism Cataclysm, Answers to Nothing, The Myth of the American Sleepover, Vanya on 42nd Street, The Thing, King of Triads, Midsomer Murders: Blood on the Saddle, Midsomer Murders: The Made-to-Measure Murders, Midsomer Murders: The Silent Land, Midsomer Murders: The Sword of Guillaume, and Sea Level. 

Interesting streaming releases this week include Stephen King's Bag of Bones, Archer, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Blank City, MI-5 (new episodes), Repeaters, Animal Atlas: Animal Mysteries, Today's Special, Happy, Happy, and Dog Jack.

USPS To Lay Off About 35,000 Employees & Close Processing Centers

Consumerist reports that the USPS is going through with plans to close more than half of all mail processing centers in order to cut costs.

In all, 223 of the 264 processing facilities that had been considered for possible closure or consolidation will be affected. See the full list of facilities (PDF) here.

These closures mean that 30,000 full-time and 5,000 "non-career" positions — covering everything from mail handlers to mechanics to maintenance employees to managers — will no longer be needed.

There is no general timeline for when the layoffs and closures will actually take place, though the existing moratorium prevents USPS from closing any facilities until May.