Netflix Is Considering Launching Lower-Cost, Ad-Supported Streaming Plans, Reed Hastings Says

Rita Ora has joined the voice cast of “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” at Netflix.The pop singer will voice the Wandering Blade character, described as a “tough English bear knight that joins Po on his globe trotting adventure.”James Hong will return to the franchise, once again voicing Mr. Ping, Po’s adoptive, over-protective father who is always filled with pride for his boy.“Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” stars Jack Black as the voice of Po.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentReed Hastings made the trek to Rome to open Netflix’s new Italian headquarters in an elegant building just off the Via Veneto of “La Dolce Vita” fame — and the Roman rain gods made sure they knew he was there.Menacing dark clouds interspersed with flashes of sunlight had hovered over the hour-long outdoor presentation of a rich slate of Netflix Italian originals, headlined by a high-end series adaptation of classic Italian novel “The Leopard.” Yet the weather had somehow held up.Right until, that is, a minute after Hastings took the stage.“To start [in Italy] with this facility, with all the creators that we have today, is such an honor, especially as I feel the first drop of rain,” said Netflix’s founder and co-CEO. As it gradually began to pour, Hastings reminisced about the fact that 20 years ago, when his wife and children moved to Rome while he remained in the U.S.

Netflix has opened an office in Italy and unveiled a huge slate of scripted and unscripted series and films from many of the country’s biggest producers, with Co-CEO Reed Hastings detailing the streamer’s roots in the nation.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentNetflix on Friday officially opened its Italian base in Rome, in a classy neoclassical building near the iconic Via Veneto, and announced a substantial slate of originals that stand as testament to what co-CEO Reed Hastings called the streaming giant’s “growing business in Italy.”“The breadth and variety of our Italian slate perfectly represents our ambitions,” said Hastings, who took the stage at the presentation’s conclusion. Hastings took the opportunity to note how pleased he is that Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” which Netflix produced, scooped top honors at Italy’s David di Donatello Awards, the country’s top film prizes, earlier this week.Netflix’s new Italian slate is headlined by a high-end English-language series adaptation of “The Leopard,” the classic Sicily-set novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

Matt Blank, interim CEO of AMC Networks, said the company has “no plans” for ad-supported tiers of its family of targeted streaming services including Shudder, Acorn TV and AMC+.

A Netflix shareholder has sued the streamer for violating securities law after slowing subscriber growth led to a sharp decline in the company’s stock price.

A listed park that appeared in a Netflix drama has 'fallen into disrepair', residents say - despite the council receiving money to spend on the place. Stamford Park, in Altrincham, Trafford, featured in The English Game, about two 19th Century footballers on opposite sides of a class divide.

Space Force has been cancelled by Netflix after two seasons.The streaming platform announced that the Steve Carell-led comedy series, which he co-created with The Office showrunner Greg Daniels, will not be returning for a third run of episodes.This comes just two and a half months after the release of the second season, which has received middling to negative reviews from critics.A parody of ex-president Donald Trump’s genuine desire to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the US military, Space Force centres on the everyday failings and absurd antics of General Mark R. Naird (Carell) and his team as they launch various space-related operations.Alongside Carell, the show starred John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O.

David Zaslav and Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel scored nine-figure compensation packages, a Day-Glo illustration of the lengths that board rooms go to reward the men (and it is exclusively men) at the top. Those gaudy figures came largely in the form of stock options, which means the take-home pay could shrink if the market takes a nosedive, but both men are still among the most richly remunerated in this or any industry.

After witnessing the carnage on Wall Street after Netflix reported stalling subscriber levels, raising stark questions about the business of streaming, Comcast kept talk of NBCUniversal’s Peacock somewhat limited during its first-quarter earnings call.

Netflix subscribers in the UK share passwords between friends and family, according to research.As reported by research firm Digital i (via the Guardian), it’s estimated at least 27 per cent of Netflix’s 14.9million subscribers in the UK, over four million accounts, share their accounts with other households. It’s believed the real figure, however, could be higher.Ali Vahdati, Digital i chief executive, said: “Our estimates came from analysing account activity, and we corroborated this with various other sources.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Netflix spy series led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro has set its main cast, Variety has learned.Appearing in series regular roles in the series are: Jay Baruchel, Aparna Brielle, Andy Buckley, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster, Barbara Eve Harris, Gabriel Luna, Fabiana Udenio, and Travis Van Winkle. Additionally, the following actors will appear in recurring roles: Devon Bostick, David Chinchilla, Rachel Lynch, Stephanie Sy, and Scott Thompson.Full character descriptions for all the new cast members can be found below.The untitled spy drama was ordered at Netflix in May 2021, with the streamer giving the one-hour show an eight episode order.

If you're still watching Netflix on your ex's roommate's account, that access may not last much longer: Netflix is considering cracking down on password sharing, according to a report from the Associated Press. The streaming platform may also add a new, lower-cost subscription tier supported by ads, similar to its rival Hulu's.

Netflix, seen as the big dog in the streaming wars, just saw 200,000 people cancel their subscriptions as announced by the company. The streaming giant recently closed up shop in Russia due to the country’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, following multiple other western companies including fellow streamers who ceased operating there.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe finale of CNN+’s “Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech,” titled “The Netflix Effect,” launches Thursday, perfect timing for an entertainment industry that is both reeling amid Netflix’s shocking Q1 subscriber miss, poor second-quarter outlook and the wait to see if CNN+ can find its groove as quickly as it might need to in order to survive.Based on the “Land of the Giants” podcast from Vox Media’s Recode, the CNN+ docuseries explores the complicated histories of Meta (a.k.a. Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Google and now Netflix.

Netflix has unveiled the voice cast for its upcoming animated film “My Father’s Dragon,” which is the next feature from the award-winning studio behind “Wolfwalkers” and “The Secret of Kells” Cartoon Saloon. Jacob Tremblay will lead a voice cast that also includes Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton Meester, Spence Moore II, Adam Brody, Charlyne Yi, Maggie Lincoln, Jack Smith with Whoopi Goldberg and Ian McShane.Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”) is directing “My Father’s Dragon” based on Ruth Stiles Gannett’s Newbery Award winning book of the same name.

Zack Sharf Elon Musk weighed in on Netflix’s subscriber loss in the first quarter of 2022 by claiming “the woke mind virus” is making the streaming platform “unwatchable.” Netflix announced April 19 that it had lost 200,000 subscribers, marking the first time in 10 years the streamer has reported a loss in subscribers. Following the news, Netflix’s stock crashed to a four-year low.While Musk did not detail why Netflix shows are contributing to “the woke mind virus” that’s killing the streaming giant, he did agree with one follower who claimed that the “woke mind virus is the biggest threat to the civilization.” Musk replied, “Yes.”Another follower wrote to Musk, “It’s not just Netflix.

K.J. Yossman Netflix has unveiled a first-look image (below) from upcoming animated feature “My Father’s Dragon,” which features Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo and a host of bold-face names.Based on the book of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett, “My Father’s Dragon” tells the story of Elmer, a young boy who struggles to cope after moving to the city with his mother.