Tag Archives: nflx

Twitter, Internet company valuations spur bubble talk

With money-losing Internet companies getting sky-high valuations, some investors are feeling deja vu from the dot-com bubble. Talk of a new tech stock bubble is increasing. On Monday, activist investor Carl Icahn warned that the stock market could suffer a “big drop,” because valuations are rich and earnings are being driven more by low borrowing costs than management’s efforts to boost results, Reuters reported . Icahn recently pocketed a tidy profit on Netflix (NFLX), a company whose own CEO warned last month about “momentum-investor-fueled euphoria” in its stock. Twitter (TWTR) has become the poster child for a lot of bubble talk lately. The unprofitable microblogging and news feed service went public on Nov. 7 and surged 73% on its first day of trading, reaching a market valuation of roughly $25 billion. The stock priced at $26 a share and soared as high as 50.09, before ending the day at 44.90. It …

Comedians pay last respects to Blockbuster

Comedians have paid their last respects to video rental store chain Blockbuster, which announced on Nov. 6 that it will close its remaining 300 stores. Current owner Dish Network (DISH) said consumer demand is moving to digital distribution of video entertainment and it didn’t make sense to keep the DVD business in operation. Netflix (NFLX) and Outerwall ‘s (OUTR) Redbox unit have taken over the home video business over the last decade. “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon joked about Blockbuster’s demise in the context of changes in the home entertainment business. Fallon : This is kinda sad. Blockbuster announced that it will close all of its remaining stores in the U.S. by sometime early next year. In other words, your local strip mall is about to get a Curves gym! Fallon : Yeah, Blockbuster’s going out of business. So it looks like I’m now the proud owner of a VHS copy of “True Lies.” Suck it, Blockbuster! Fallon : I’m not sure why the company’s losing so much money, but maybe I’ll watch a documentary about it on Netflix. “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno also took a parting shot…

Gamers embrace Sony PlayStation 4 at launch

Sony on Friday kicked off a battle for supremacy in the next-generation video-game console market, a week ahead of rival Microsoft. Sony (SNE) began selling its PlayStation 4 console at midnight at major retailers in the U.S. The PS4 is the company’s first new living-room console in seven years. Next Friday, Microsoft (MSFT) will release its third-generation game machine, the Xbox One, setting up a major battle for consumer dollars this holiday shopping season. Both camps have been running TV ad campaigns to grab gamers’ attention. The PS4 boasts ultrarealistic graphics, a smoother gaming experience and new online gameplay and entertainment functions. It launched with 23 first- and third-party gaming titles, including Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag,” Activision ‘s (ATVI) “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” Sony’s “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” “Knack” and “Resogun.” The PS4 also features 13 digital entertainment apps in the U.S., including Amazon (AMZN) Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Netflix (NFLX) and NBA Game Time…