Reed Hastings

YouTube ventured into gaming this week by rolling out a test of YouTube Playables to all Premium users. Playables are small, free games for mobile and desktop devices with no downloads, such as Angry Birds Showdown, from YouTube. Mourning the Loss of Addison Rae’s Debut Album | The Meme MachineYouTube is the latest video-watching platform to branch out into gaming. Google announced it would test out YouTube Playables as a test feature back in September for certain users. That experiment has now expanded to all Premium…

Whelp, I guess we all knew this was coming. With no formal announcement, Netflix removed its $9.99 “Basic” subscription tier for anybody trying to sign up for a new account or resubscribe in the U.S. and UK. Now your two options are to pay $5.50 more per month for the “Standard” plan, or otherwise suffer through constant ad interruptions with what’s now been dubbed “Standard with ads.”Netflix Passwords, ChatGPT Can’t Detect AI, and No More CoTweets | Editor PicksAll the changes are listed onthe service’s help center…

The Netflix logo displayed on a phone screen and its website on a laptop screen are seen in this photo taken in Krakow, Poland, June 8, 2023.Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesNetflix has gotten rid of its cheapest commercial-free plan in the U.S. and the U.K., in a push to get more sign-ups for its recently launched ad-supported option.On its plans and pricing page, which outlines all subscriber options, Netflix noted that the basic plan, which cost $9.99 and didn't feature ads, was no longer available for new or…

Even for those who grew up in the days of cable—the ones who cut their teeth on brain-melting Sunny D or Kool Aid commercials—watching ads on streaming services is somehow more taxing and annoying than anything that came before Netflix first burst onto the scene. Part of the issue is that the same ads run constantly on streaming services, sometimes repeating during the same ad break, ad nauseam. Now Netflix could be working to revise its systems that would make watching ad breaks just a bit less repetitive, and perhaps…

Image: izzuanroslan (Shutterstock)As the Writers Guild of America continues to strike for fair wages and against the looming threat of AI, one of the largest streaming services—Netflix—might have just heard their battle cry against executives.Netflix Passwords, ChatGPT Can’t Detect AI, and No More CoTweets | Editor PicksThe Hollywood Reporter writes that Netflix shareholders have rejected the pay packages that were set to be awarded to executives at the company, including current co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters as…

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesNetflix saw its stock rise nearly 10% on Thursday soon after unveiling details about its new ad-supported tier that suggested the business model is starting to pay off. The streaming service this week said it had 5 million monthly active users for its cheaper, ad-supported option and that 25% of its new subscribers were signing up for the tier in areas where it's available.The update came at Netflix's inaugural pitch to advertisers on Wednesday, the first time Netflix took part in…

In his book "No Rules Rules", Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings described a moment in 2001 when venture capital had dried up, forcing the company to lay off staff and retain only the highest performers. Hastings was surprised to find both morale and performance improved."This was my road to Damascus experience, a turning point in my understanding of the role of talent density in organizations," Hastings wrote. "The lessons we learned became the foundation of much that has led to Netflix's success."After Hastings stepped…

Netflix Inc. co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping aside as chief executive officer of the company. Netflix Inc. co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping aside as chief executive officer of the company he's led for more than two decades, leaving the position to his two longtime associates, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. Sarandos, who was already co-CEO, is the company's public face in Hollywood while Peters, previously chief operating officer, has overseen its product development and push into advertising. Hastings, 62,…

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings announced on Thursday he will step down as chief executive, handing the reins of the streaming service to his longtime partner and co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, and the company's chief operating officer, Greg Peters.Sarandos and Peters will share the title of chief executives, with Hastings serving as executive chairman. The change is effective immediately, representing the culmination of a decade of succession planning by the board. Both Peters and Sarandos were promoted in July 2020, amid a…

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.Netflix – Shares of Netflix jumped 6.3% after the company's per-share earnings came short of analysts' expectations. Nevertheless, the latest quarterly results showed the streaming service added millions more subscribers in the quarter than Wall Street anticipated. The company also announced that co-CEO Reed Hastings would step down from the role.Nordstrom – Nordstrom shares fell 6.5% after the company cut its annual profit forecast for its fiscal year following…