By Jordan Valinsky 5/16 1:31pm

TODAY IN PRESS RELEASES

Oh. (Photo: Hashgram)

Netflix Tries to Convince Us That ‘Netflix Adultery’ is a Real Thing

Here’s apparently a real problem that’s affecting those lucky enough to be in a relationship: “Netflix Adultery.” The condition, as coined by the Cut, is when a partner watches ahead or finishes a television show instead of waiting to watch it with their significant other on the streaming service. 

Of the 2,000 American adults polled, who convinced themselves this was a legitimate issue, about 12 percent confessed to this unforgivable act of adultery. And you could be living with a cheater without even knowing it: 51 percent said they would watch a program even though they agreed to wait for their partner.  Read More

By Jordan Valinsky 4/30 4:00pm

Visiting Dignitaries

Ostrich. (Photo: Getty Images/Michael Buckner)

Netflix Paid for an Ostrich to Walk the Red Carpet at the Arrested Development Premiere

Last night’s premiere for the new season of Arrested Development, helmed by Netflix, brought out your usual gambit of stars. A scruffy Jason Bateman appeared, Portia de Rossi brought along her real-life YouTube video/wife Ellen Degeneres, and Jessica Walter still looks flawless since we last saw her.

But there was also an ostrich. It wasn’t a jokey reference from seasons past, and it wasn’t David Cross doing David Crossy things, like, say,dressing up as an ostrich. Nope, the flightless bird was sharing red carpet space alongside the stars of the Netflix-produced show, which premieres May 26. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 8:45am

Linkages

Let's hope this means more wacky pet products.

Booting Up: Fab Reportedly Thinks It’s Worth a Billion Dollars Now

Fab is reportedly raising over $100 million, at a $1 billion valuation. That’s a jump from the $600 valuation the last time the company raised. [TechCrunch]

Netflix now has (just barely) more American subscribers than HBO. [Variety]

“Apple Inc. is facing an identity crisis on Wall Street.” Sounds dramatic. [Wall Street Journal]

Matthew Keys, who was indicted in March for allegedly conspiring with Anonymous to hack the L.A. Times website, has been fired from his job at Reuters. Apparently they didn’t like a parody Twitter account he created, or his tweets about the hunt for the marathon bombers. [Atlantic Wire]

There’s a startup that wants to disrupt raising your hand in class, FYI. [GigaOm]

By Jessica Roy 4/16 7:44am

Linkages

Bye bye. (Photo: Netflix)

Booting Up: Netflix Is Finally Going to Ditch Microsoft Silverlight

If you were hoping to get rich off of being one of the first to build apps for Google Glass, think again: Google has prohibited developers from using ads or charging for apps. We’re betting Google wants to keep  that potential ad revenue all to itself. [The Verge]

Sources tell Bloomberg Twitter is seeking a deal with Viacom and Comcast that would allow it to host clips (as well as ads alongside those clips) on the site. Can’t you at least verify @Jack’s parents first? [Bloomberg]

Binge-watching shows is about to get a whole lot easier: Netflix is finally ditching Microsoft Silverlight in favor of HTML5 video. [The Verge]

IBM execs are headed to Washington to try to convince politicians to pass CISPA. Paging Alexis Ohanian! [Hillicon Valley]

Cory Booker’s Waywire startup has finally launched in beta. [PandoDaily]

By Kelly Faircloth 4/05 8:45am

Linkages

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Booting Up: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Piracy, Netflix!

Now that Netflix is in the original content business, the company has to deal with piracy. It took some time, but House of Cards is now all over the torrent sites. [Variety]

Is Apple working on a competitor to Street View? [Apple Insider]

New software would leave student essays to be graded by A.I., leaving professors more time for other tasks. What professors are doing that’s more important than evaluating the progress of their students is anyone’s guess. [New York Times]

“If you install this, then it is very likely that Facebook is going to be able to track your every move, and every little action.” [GigaOm]

A secrets-sharing app named “Whisper” just raised $3 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners. [PandoDaily]

By Kelly Faircloth 4/02 4:27pm

Social Media

Everyone will knowwwww (Photo: flickr.com/jamiesrabbits)

Attention, Reed Hastings: The S.E.C. Says Social Media Announcements Are Okay, If You Meet These Conditions

Oh the times, oh the customs! These days, with every Tom Dick and Harry CEO maintaining a Twitter account and public Facebook page, it’s easier than ever to violate the S.E.C.’s rules about where you can disclose key information so all your shareholders see it. That’s already gotten Netflix CEO Reed Hastings into a little trouble (not that his example stopped rogue Tesla CEO and would-be Martian Elon Musk).

Well today the S.E.C. announced that it’s a-okay to announce “key information” (like sales figures) via social media, “so long as investors have been alerted about which social media will be used to disseminate such information.” Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 3/27 1:21pm

Nerd Nirvana

This time, maybe don't give Tom Hanks ALL THE PARTS.

The Wachowskis Are Making a Netflix Original Series with the Babylon 5 Dude

After going and getting everyone in America completely obsessed with House of Cards, Netflix continues to build out its schedule of upcoming original content. The latest addition to the docket: Sense8, a science fiction thriller from the creators of The Matrix, the Wachowskis, and the mastermind of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczvnski.

We don’t even want to think about the budget for this project. With those names, it’s probably the GDP of a small Eastern European nation. HBO-class original programming doesn’t come cheap! Read More