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Posted
May 28 2008, 09:53 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Some headlines that caught my eye today: Who has the worst customer service? MSN Money went snooping, and Time Warner's AOL topped the list. I agree, having seen AOL's horrible service firsthand. Short version of a long story: A family member with Alzheimer's could no longer speak -- let alone remember his AOL password -- and AOL wouldn't let his wife discontinue the service because she wasn't the primary account holder. His wife had to pay for years, and threaten legal action, before AOL canceled the account. Thanks, AOL. Delaware has the best broadband. A new report says Delaware tops the country when it comes to the number of Internet connections using "high broadband" -- meaning speeds exceeding 5 Mbps. About 60% of Delaware's Internet connections fall into this category. Rhode Island and New York round out the top three. I was surprised to see Nevada and Oklahoma next on the list, given that vast rural areas aren't the best environment for fast broadband.
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Posted
Jun 16 2009, 05:54 AM
by
Louis Navellier
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
When broadcast stations switched from analog to digital signals this week, Netflix (NFLX), the online movie company, threw a party.
Well, it should have, anyway. That's because Netflix now becomes a competitor to cable television, offering access to "free cable channels" for a much lower price than subscribing to a cable service.
But that's not the only reason I like Netflix. Netflix has taken the movie-watching experience to a whole new level, one that doesn't involve getting dressed and heading to the local video store to rent the latest releases. Instead, Netflix delivers DVDs straight to your mailbox. What's more, the company now offers instant access to many movies over the Internet so you don't even have to wait for the postman.
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Posted
May 20 2008, 10:43 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Today we're seeing the future of Netflix. The company announced its $100 set-top player, available now and getting all kinds of frothy reviews (Wired calls it "just shy of totally amazing"). Hook the box to your TV and your wired or wireless high-speed Internet connection, and you can stream videos from Netflix's library.
Before we drill into the details of this thing, note that Netflix shares rose nearly 4% today, but closed up 2% to $31.63. Netflix shares have enjoyed a good run over the last year as the company grew subscribers and beat out Blockbuster in the DVD-by-mail business. But mailing DVDs has always been a short-term play. Now, we're seeing what Netflix wants to be when it grows up.
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Posted
Jul 17 2008, 10:50 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
If you want to sell TV shows and movies online, you've got to keep it simple. Make it easy. Apple knows this. So does Netflix, which is expanding its subscription service online. But Amazon straight-out failed in this area with its clunky Unbox download service. So it went back to the drawing board and has a new effort out today. The new store, called Amazon Video on Demand, has 40,000 movies and TV shows and ups the ante in the online video business with two significant breakthroughs. First, Amazon has partnered with Sony Electronics to get the store directly into the TV -- Sony Bravia TVs, specifically. Second, Amazon holds the videos you buy on its end, and you can watch them by logging in to Amazon from different computers or devices. Amazon shares are up less than 1% to $72.13. Here are more details about the service, which Amazon chose to announce in today's New York Times.
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Posted
Oct 20 2008, 01:32 AM
by
Andrew Horowitz
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 These days, investing at any level is precarious -- unless you are shorting or your portfolio is hedged. Just dipping your toes in the water could have yielded disastrous results. Listening or reading expert opinion shows that many now recommend investing with an eye towards safety through companies with secure dividends. The problem with that idea is that there is no way to tell how secure the dividends are until it is too late.
Earnings season has just started and already reports have been disappointing investors and many stocks have been continuing their fall. If ever there was a time when we didn't need to see hundreds of earnings reports delivered during a five-day span, now would be it. Here's what to watch as we go into this earnings season
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Posted
Jul 18 2008, 08:00 PM
by
Andrew Horowitz
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
We are the heart of earnings season and this week's lineup is massive. As I write this, I'm looking at over 25 pages of earnings estimates on hundreds of companies presenting results in one of the toughest quarters we've seen in decades. It appears that many of the companies that have already reported have been doing a fine job of beating lowered expectations and providing a nice balance to a market that has been under siege.
This week will be no different in terms of volatility. But those companies which have been savvy enough to project estimates that they figure they can beat will have an easy time pleasing investors. Those that don't will pay a heavy price into the next cycle. Let's face it, it's a game. If played well it can provide wondrous rewards.
Here are a few companies that you may want to pay attention to.
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Posted
May 29 2008, 11:38 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings expects the DVD-by-mail business to peak in five years. That's the main reason the company is focusing on set-top boxes that stream video directly to the TV set. Investors tread carefully: Hastings' comments are more evidence that this is a company in the middle of a huge transition to a riskier, more competitive future. One growing threat to the company comes from Redbox, which offers $1 DVD rentals at kiosks in grocery stores and other locations and is a popular choice with this blog's commenters. Redbox is majority-owned by Coinstar and plans to file for an IPO soon. Netflix would be smart to partner with Redbox, offering customers another way to get movies between DVD mailings.
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Posted
Jan 27 2009, 04:06 AM
by
Bernhard Warner and Matthew Yeomans
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site The Big Money.
Another day, another round of layoffs. On Monday, the announcements seemed to go on all day, starting in Europe with Dutch consumer-electronics giant Philips cutting 6,000 jobs, and spreading across the U.S. to the construction, pharmaceutical, telecom, and retail sectors. The New York Times calculates more than 75,000 jobs in the U.S. and around the world were eliminated by corporate bosses yesterday as the global economic outlook goes from bad to worse. The Guardian reckons it was closer to 80,000, making it "one of the bleakest days in recent memory." CNNMoney.com calls it "Bloody Monday," adding that more than 200,000 job cuts have been announced so far this year, and the nearly 2.6 million jobs were lost over 2008 was the highest yearly job-loss total since 1945. The relatively hopeful measures of "furloughs, wage reductions, hiring freezes and shorter hours" are not doing the trick for struggling companies, the New York Times says. As the recession bites harder, there's only one option left: mass layoffs
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Posted
Jan 26 2009, 12:22 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
In this economic recession, how is it that Netflix (NFLX) has a rock-solid quarter and continues to draw new subscribers? Shares of the DVD-by-mail rental company are up 7% in after-hours trading Monday after it posted a nice subscriber gain for the Christmas quarter. It was a great three months for the company, which saw its total subscribers grow 26% from last year to 9.4 million. That's 8% more than the third quarter. Sales for the quarter rose 19% from a year earlier and profit rose about 30%. The company beat analyst expectations in both those areas. In addition, its cost spent to gain a subscriber fell to $26.67 from $34.58. Just about all the numbers should be well-received by investors, as is the news that
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Posted
Oct 23 2007, 09:46 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
I love rooting for Netflix. One reason is that in five years of being a customer, I've never had a bad experience. But the bigger reason is that Netflix has doggedly pursued its business model to become a worthy rival to BOB, also known as Big Old Blockbuster. After losing ground to BOB this year, Netflix has regained its momentum.
The company surprised analysts last night with stronger-than-expected quarterly results and a 24% increase in subscribers, to 7 million. Its shares are up more than 9% today to above $25 as investors applaud the news.
Netflix's outlook seemed bleak three months ago, when the company missed revenue targets and had its first drop in subscriber numbers. BOB, meanwhile, said its online subscribers rose by 600,000 to 3.6 million. Netflix's share price dropped below the $16 mark in July in response.
Netflix has cut some subscription plans by $1 and reduced marketing costs to save money. A bit of a risky strategy, but one that seems to be paying off. Still, Netflix's position has always been volatile, and in the future the company faces increased competition from Amazon and others.
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