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Tag: Netflix

  • Netflix subscriber count drops by 1 million

    Netflix subscriber count drops by 1 million

    As the streaming giant battles fierce competition and viewers tightening their purse strings, Netflix on Tuesday reported losing subscribers for the second consecutive quarter. However, the company reassured investors that better days were ahead.

    Netflix had just under 221 million subscribers after the most recent quarter, which was less than anticipated given the loss of 970,000 paying customers.

    The number of subscribers worldwide fell by 1 million, with a drop of 1.28 million in the US and Canada alone between the end of March and the end of June, according to Netflix’s Q2 earnings report, which came after the company reported losing subscribers for the first time in more than a decade last quarter.

    “Tough in some ways, losing a million and calling it success, but really we are set up very well for the next year,” the company´s co-chief and founder Reed Hastings said in an earnings presentation.

    In its earnings report, the company stated that it had forecast a million new paid subscribers for the current quarter. In after-hours trading, Netflix stock was slightly up, indicating that investors were still sticking with the company.

    Analysts noted that the results were troubling even though they were not as bad as anticipated.

    “Netflix´s subscriber loss was expected but it remains a sore point for a company that is wholly dependent on subscription revenue from consumers,” said analyst Ross Benes.

    “Unless it finds more franchises that resonate widely, it will eventually struggle to stay ahead of competitors that are after its crown,” Benes added.

  • Hollywood move: Ahad Raza Mir bags season 2 of WWII series ‘World on Fire’

    Hollywood move: Ahad Raza Mir bags season 2 of WWII series ‘World on Fire’

    Actor Ahad Raza Mir has landed another international series as he will be joining the cast of the second season of BBC’s World on Fire.

    Watch World on Fire: Season 1 | Prime Video

    After his Netflix debut in Resident Evil, this is Mir’s second foreign series. The Hum Tum hero will be among the additions to the original cast as Rajib. Other new characters also include Mark Bonnar (Guilt, Line of Duty) as Sir James Danemere and Gregg Sulkin (Runaways, Pretty Smart) as David.

    World on Fire tells the story of World War II “through the eyes of ordinary people whose lives have been thrown into chaos”. The second season will drop six new episodes written by series creator Peter Bowker, Rachel Bennette and Matt Jones.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WpUQ_QvNjc&t=784s

    The show is set in October 1940. “Lone pilots are sent to destroy German bombers prowling the skies above Manchester as the Northern Blitz begins. The true reality of war has arrived in Britain,” read the description on PBS.

    The show stars Lesley Manville as Robina, Jonah Hauer-King as Harry, Julia Brown as Lois, Zofia Wichlacz as Kasia, Blake Harrison as Stan, Eugénie Derouand as Henriette, Eryk Biedunkiewicz as Jan and Cel Spellman as Joe who will all be returning this season.

    Creator Bowker said that the “diverse cast” reflects the global nature of the conflict.

    Ben Irving, the acting director of drama at BBC, also commented on the show. “With a range of intriguing, untold stories that put ordinary people at the centre of history, and a first-rate ensemble of both new and returning characters, it’s a real pleasure to see filming on World on Fire season two, now underway.”

    The show is currently being filmed in Northern Ireland. The first season aired on MASTERPIECE in spring 2020.

    Ahad has also impressed his fans with his performance in Netflix’s Resident Evil.

  • Binge-watch these movies, seasons this holiday week

    Binge-watch these movies, seasons this holiday week

    The first day of Eid-ul-Azha went flying by and I am sure all of you have your hearts and stomachs filled with warmth and love from being around your dear ones. Eid is one occasion when families and friends gather together and this becomes a great excuse to watch all the movies and seasons you have on your list.

    Here are a few recommendations.

    1: Ms Marvel

    Streaming on Disney+, Ms Marvel has already captivated audiences with a fine storyline, characters, and our own Pakistani stars featuring in it.

    Poster of Ms Marvel

    Fawad Khan has finally made an appearance in the fifth episode of Ms Marvel. Fawad plays a man from the pre-partition era. Pakistani actors Mehwish Hayat, Samina Ahmed, and Nimra Bucha are also playing important characters in the Marvel series.

    2: The Umbrella Academy:

    Packed with action, drama, science, fantasy, and a touch of superhero elements, the latest episodes of The Umbrella Academy are trending. Get some popcorn and binge-watch the season on Netflix.

    The Umbrella Academy poster

    3: Peaky Blinders:

    The Shelby brothers are back on Netflix with their latest season. This historical fiction and crime drama is back with Tommy Shelby, a dangerous man, who leads the Peaky Blinders and the show has massively great reviews.

    The Shelby brothers

    4: Man vs Bee:

    A homeless man looking for work is mistaken by a businesswoman for her new housesitter.

    Man vs Bee

    Rowan Atkinson is at his usual best with his comic timing in the British comedy streaming television miniseries.

    5: Modern Love:

    A co-production of Amazon Studios and the New York Times, this anthology series explores love in all of its complicated and beautiful forms, as well as its effects on the human connection. Each episode brings to life a different story that has been inspired by the newspaper’s popular Modern Love column.

    Modern Love poster

    6: Fleabag

    A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy. The angry, grief-riddled woman tries to heal while rejecting anyone who tries to help her, but Fleabag continues to keep up her bravado through it all. Catch Fleagbag on Amazon Prime with a pack of caramel popcorn and you will stay hooked.

    Poster of Fleabag

    7: Catastrophe

    During a business trip in London, an American named Rob meets Sharon, an Irish teacher with whom he shares incredible chemistry. While the two plan to have some fun with no strings attached, things go awry when Sharon learns she is pregnant. The unexpected news inspires the recent acquaintances to try and make it as a couple, despite nonstop complications that include hailing from different countries and a pregnancy that is not without risks. Get hooked to Catastrophe on Amazon Prime.

    Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan play a couple dealing with the stresses of marriage in the Amazon Prime series Catastrophe. Delaney and Horgan also co-created and co-wrote the series.
  • Priyanka-Nick lock baby girl’s ‘unusual’ name, what does it mean?

    Priyanka-Nick lock baby girl’s ‘unusual’ name, what does it mean?

    Actress Priyanka Chopra and singer Nick Jonas’ baby girl has been named Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, as per the birth certificate obtained by TMZ.

    Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas Reportedly Spent “Months Renovating” Their Home to Prepare for Baby | Vanity Fair

    The hit duo had welcomed Malti Marie via surrogate on January 15 at a hospital in San Diego, California, the certificate also revealed. The couple announced her birth on January 22.

    According to TMZ, the document states that Malti was born just after 8 pm on January 15 in San Diego, California. While the couple hasn’t made any confirmation yet on the baby’s name, it seems the name could have a special meaning for the duo.

    The couple continues to honour both their traditions with their baby daughter’s name as well and hence have chosen a Sanskrit name as well as the middle name Marie is Christian.

    Malti generally means small fragrant flower or moonlight in Sanskrit.

    While speaking to close friend Lilly Singh in an interaction recently, Priyanka spoke about wanting to raise a child without putting any limitations on their dreams and aspirations.

    The Dostana diva recently praised Netflix’s Bridgerton 2 in her Instagram stories the actress penned a note about how she had to face anomaly when she entered the film industry, but now things have changed. The Citadel diva shared a still from the show and appreciated the makers.

    Her note read, “I have to say.. it’s so wonderful to see desi representation on mainstream TV. It was such an anomaly when I started. Love the show and the Sharma sisters (sic).”

    In the second season, we were introduced to the Sharma sisters which include Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma and Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma.

    Earlier this year the Don 2 star reacted to the ongoing Ukraine crisis, which has affected the lives of innocent residents of the European countries.

     She has called the situation ‘terrifying’ and has asked for contribution on behalf of Unicef to help them. 

    Priyanka posted a video of news coverage showing how individuals have turned subway stations into underground bunkers to stay protected during the Russia-Ukraine war.

    The Dostana actor wrote, “The situation unfolding in Ukraine is terrifying. Innocent people living in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones, while trying to navigate the uncertainty of the immediate future. It’s difficult to comprehend how in the modern world this could escalate to such a catastrophic point, but this is a consequential moment that will reverberate around the world.”

    Asking people to reach out for help, Priyanka added, “There are innocent lives living in this war zone. They are just like you and me. Here is more info at the link in my bio about how to assist the people of Ukraine.” Priyanka was appointed as Global Unicef Goodwill Ambassador in 2016. 

     Thousands of people have fled the country as the Russian military launched a full scale invasion via land, sea and air.

  • Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in Q1 2022, projects deeper losses in Q2

    Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in Q1 2022, projects deeper losses in Q2

    Netflix lost 200,000 clientele in the most recent quarter, a significant loss for the streaming titan which has enjoyed exponential user growth over the previous decade. The company revealed that it fell far short of its own low estimates of 2.5 million new users by the start of 2022.

    Except for the Asia Pacific market, where it witnessed a net gain of almost 1 million customers, the streaming giant lost users in nearly every region.

    Netflix lost roughly 640,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada in the first quarter, a higher decline than its prior subscriber loss in the region last year, and 300,000 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 350,000 in Latin America.

    The decline is projected to continue into the second quarter when Netflix expects to lose another 2 million customers.

    Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings stated in a pre-recorded interview that the company will look into creating an ad-supported tier in the “next year or two” – a move that Netflix officials had previously opposed.

    “Those who have followed Netflix know that I have been a vocal opponent of advertising complexity and a strong supporter of subscription simplicity. But, as much as I enjoy that, I prefer consumer choice, and letting consumers who want a lower price and are tolerant of advertisements to obtain what they want makes a lot of sense,” Hastings added. “Think of us as being fairly open to delivering even lower costs as a consumer choice with advertising”.

    .According to CFO Spencer Neumann, the streamer will also draw back some of its content investment over the next two years in order to boost revenue growth. During the pre-recorded interview, Neumann added, “We’re cutting back on some of our spend increases across both content and non-content expenditure and we’re trying to be wise and sensible about it, reining in some of that expenditure increase to match the realities of the business’s revenue growth”.

    Due to the company’s poor performance in Q4 and lowered estimates for the first quarter, Wall Street had low expectations for Netflix going into Tuesday’s earnings. Netflix’s move to cease service in Russia, where the streamer claims to have 700,000 customers, was also expected to have an impact on subscriber growth.

    Read more: Samsung Galaxy S23 to launch with high capacity battery, inspired by electric vehicles

    Netflix said in its shareholder letter that it would have added 500,000 customers in the first quarter if the losses in Russia were not taken into account.

    However, Netflix attributed its slowing growth in Q1 to a number of issues, including account sharing, the pandemic’s prolonged disruption, and, once again, greater competition from competing streamers.

    Netflix revealed in a shareholder letter on Tuesday that more than 100 million of its 222 million paid subscriptions were pooled with viewers outside of paying customers, with 30 million shared accounts in the US and Canada alone.

  • Hum tou gaye: Netflix plans to stop password sharing with friends, family

    Hum tou gaye: Netflix plans to stop password sharing with friends, family

    Netflix announced on Wednesday that it is testing new solutions to terminate the sharing password facility between friends and family.

    Netflix will add an extra payment to add more users to an account.

    Director of product innovation in Netflix, Chengyi Long said, “While [separate profiles and multiple streams] have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared.”

    He further continued, “As a result, accounts are being shared between households — impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”

    Netflix is conducting a first experiment phase in three countries which includes Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

    The streaming platform will send notifications to subscribers regarding options to add households to an account with discounted prices which are 2,380 CLP in Chile, 2.99 USD in Costa Rica and 7.9 PEN in Peru.

    Then, subscribers will have the option to turn the viewing profiles either into a new account or an extra member account.

    Long also talked about future plans, “We’ll be working to understand the utility of these two features for members in these three countries before making changes anywhere else in the world.”

  • Squid Game grabs three awards at International SAG awards

    Squid Game grabs three awards at International SAG awards

    Korean actors Lee Jung Jae and Jung Ho Yeon who starred in a popular Netflix show, Squid Game grabbed two awards at the International Screen Actor Guild (SAG). Lee Jung Jae has won the Outstanding Performance by a male actor in a drama series while Jung Ho Yeon has grabbed the award for a female actor in a drama series. Squid Game also succeeded in winning an Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series.

     

    This is the first time for any Korean actors and foreign drama to win the SAG awards.

    While accepting his award, Jung Jae said, “Oh my. Thank you so much. This is truly huge. I wrote something, but I don’t think I can read it. Thank you so much, SAG Awards. Thank you to the global audience for all of your love for ‘Squid Game,’ and thank you ‘Squid Game’ team!”

    Jung Ho Yeon got emotional when taking her first International award for Squid Game.

    In her acceptance speech, she said, “First of all, thank you so much. I have been watching all of you on a big screen as an audience, dreaming to become an actor myself one day. I just want to say thank you so much and I’m so honored to be here.” 

    She further added, “Thank you for making my dream (come true) and opening the door for me. Love you Squid Game team!” 

    They have tough competition in their respective categories. Many popular actors and dramas were nominated against them.

    Squid Game was released last year which gained attention from a global audience and remained to trend number one worldwide for several months.

    Now Director Hwang Dong Hyuk of Squid Game has also confirmed two more seasons of the web series.

  • ‘My mom used to scold me’: Madhuri Dixit opens up on personal life and career

    ‘My mom used to scold me’: Madhuri Dixit opens up on personal life and career

    Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit recently talked about her life as a super star and how stardom never affected her personal life.

    In her debut web series The Fame Game, Madhuri plays a Bollywood star who encounters the dark side of fame and sees how her popularity affects life in a negative way.

    In a recent interaction with ETimes the Devdas star revealed that her family never treated her differently even after she became a superstar.

    She went on to add that she was lucky never to have faced that in real life and it was largely because she kept her personal and professional lives separate.

    “I mean, even when I was working in films, my mom used to scold me if my room was messed up and things like that. So that’s how I was brought up. And that’s how I am. When I go home, everything is back in the studio. I see my kids and I see my husband and its just a different life. I never really lost myself,” she said.

    The actor added that she detaches from her onscreen character once she steps out of the sets. “I look at it as a profession. When I go in front of the camera, I’m a professional actress. And I know what I’m doing. I’ve read a script, and I’m reading it and I’m playing that character. I become that character for the camera, but once I go back home, I am a normal person, because that’s the way I’ve been brought up,” she continued.

    On the work front, The Fame Game is Madhuri’s OTT debut. The series, created by Sri Rao, began streaming on Netflix on February 25. It also stars Sanjay Kapoor, Manav Kaul, Muskkaan Jaferi and Lakshvir Saran in key roles.

  • Aryan Khan to debut as screenwriter reportedly for Amazon Prime

    Aryan Khan to debut as screenwriter reportedly for Amazon Prime

    Bollywood superstar, Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is reportedly planning to make his debut as a screenwriter for the streaming site, Amazon Prime and Red Chillies Entertainment.

    According to Pinkvilla, Aryan has been working on various ideas which might be turned into a web series or feature film.

    Closed sources revealed, “Of all the ideas in development, the two in the forefront is a web series for Amazon Prime and a feature film to be bankrolled by Red Chillies Entertainment. The Amazon Prime series is said to be about the life of a die-hard fan with some elements of thrill, however, the details of feature films are not known yet. If everything proceeds at the right pace, there’s a strong possibility of the show being greenlit by the platform this year itself.”

     Currently, scripts are in the initial stages of development. He is also collaborating with writer Bilal Siddiqi for the same production house. Once the script meets all the requirements of Amazon Prime, the streaming service will likely premiere the project.

    Last year, Aryan Khan graduated from the University of Southern California (USC). He was awarded a degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cinematic Arts, Film and Television production.

    Recently, Suhana Khan, daughter of Shahrukh Khan is also making her acting debut in Zoya Akhtar’s directorial film for the streaming site, Netflix. The story is based on Archie Comics.

  • Cross-border love: Areeba Habib and Taapsee Pannu indulge in online banter

    Cross-border love: Areeba Habib and Taapsee Pannu indulge in online banter

    Bollywood star Taapsee Pannu has responded to Pakistani model and actor Areeba Habib’s praise for her latest Netflix movie Loop Lapeta.

    Turning to her Instagram Stories this week, Areeba captured a still from the movie while she praised Pannu for her acting prowess.

    “Kamal,” wrote Areeba while tagging the Pink star.

    Re-sharing the comment on her Instagram Stories, Pannu responded “Thank you” with a green heart emoticon.

    The comedy flick, which is inspired by Run Lola Run, also stars Tahir Bhasin.

    Last year, Indian film and television producer Ekta Kapoor thanked Areeba for praising her latest web series.

    Habib took to her Instagram story, to praise Kapoor’s web series Broken But Beautiful, which has been recently released. “Next level must watch”, wrote Areeba, while sharing the screengrab of the web-series. She also tagged Ekta in the post.

    Amidst the political turmoil between the two neighboring countries, this cross-border camaraderie is a breath of fresh air.