Tag Archives: nflx

Google’s YouTube Finally Gets Invite To T-Mobile Binge On Party

Google’s YouTube finally has an invite to the T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) Binge On party. And, the free video streaming party is getting bigger. T-Mobile on Thursday said it now excludes 50 video websites from subscribers’ monthly data caps, more than double the 24 apps supported when Binge On launched in early November. Netflix ( NFLX ) and Time Warner ’s ( TWX ) HBO were among the two-dozen video websites that T-Mobile first included in Binge On. T-Mobile had said YouTube – the fast growing website of Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google – could not be supported for technical reasons.  T-Mobile’s network software could not always detect YouTube’s videos, the “Uncarrier”-branded wireless carrier said. Other new video websites that are part of the Binge On program include Discovery GO,  Fox Business and Google Play Movies. On Wednesday, T-Mobile said it would offer subscribers a free year of access to MLB.TV for live broadcasts of Major League Baseball games through its Binge On service. Verizon Communications ( VZ ) no longer counts its own Go90 mobile video service toward subscriber data caps. Verizon has also launched the “FreeBee” sponsored data program, under which companies pay Verizon a fee so that users of their wireless apps can access content without their data consumption counting toward monthly limits. T-Mobile’s Binge On,  however, does not involve payments from content companies to T-Mobile. T-Mobile recently shot down speculation that it was working with Facebook ( FB ) on a sponsored-data type business model, according to reports. Federal regulators thus far have not opposed Binge On or wireless sponsored data programs. Net neutrality rules bar ISPs from throttling, blocking or prioritizing Web traffic. Some critics claim the Binge On program runs afoul of net neutrality rules. Image provided by Shutterstock .

Comcast, AT&T Not Always To Blame For Millennial Buffer Rage

Many millennials suffer from video buffer rage more frequently than road rage, says a survey by IneoQuest, a provider of quality monitoring and assurance services for Internet video companies. Fifty-one percent of the 1,000 consumers surveyed who watch streaming video have experienced “a state of uncontrollable fury or violent anger”  as a result of buffering problems, says IneoQuest. And more than one-third of those surveyed under age 35 have had meltdowns when video streaming stops. But the next time your Netflix ( NFLX ) movie or YouTube video streams inconsistently, don’t automatically  blame your Internet service provider such as Comcast ( CMCSA ), AT&T ( T ) or Verizon Communications ( VZ ), says Kurt Michel, senior marketing director at Mansfield, Mass.-based IneoQuest. The problem could be with the content itself and the server that is providing it;  the mobile device or PC; or there could be an issue with the CDN (content delivery network) that Internet video companies such as Netflix or Hulu use. CDN providers include Akamai Technologies ( AKAM ), Limelight Networks ( LLNW ) and Level 3 Communications ( LVLT ). According to IneoQuest’s study, in many cases viewers were not able to begin playing streaming content at all, with 27% of respondents claiming that buffering most often occurs before a video starts and 34% experiencing buffering in the first 15 seconds.  More than 40% of consumers say they will wait only 10 seconds or less before clicking out of a buffering video. Nearly a quarter of all consumers surveyed said buffering during live sporting events causes the most rage.

Netflix, Amazon, Akamai Benefiting From Cable Cord-Cutters

Interest in cable TV cord-cutting and cord-shaving is on the rise, according to a new survey by Robert W. Baird & Co. In its semiannual video trends survey, 51% of respondents said they are considering canceling or reducing their pay TV service. That’s up from 47% in Q3 2015 and 46% a year ago, Baird analyst William Power said in a research note Wednesday. “Consistent with our past surveys, price remains far and away the No.1 dissatisfaction with traditional cable service, followed by streaming alternatives and paying for more channels than you need, all of which feed the OTT (over-the-top TV) opportunity,” Power said. Netflix ( NFLX ) remains the clear leader in the Internet streaming-video market, but Amazon.com is gaining fast, Power said. Almost half of Netflix subscribers said they view Netflix as a substitute to traditional TV, though 82% of Netflix subscribers still subscribe to cable or satellite. Survey respondents picked “Orange Is the New Black” as the most-watched Netflix original show, followed by “House of Cards,” “Making a Murderer,” “Daredevil” and “Narcos.” Baird surveyed 1,300 U.S. Internet users, which skewed the results toward younger consumers. Roughly 15% of those surveyed were cord-cutters or cord-nevers who didn’t subscribe to traditional pay TV services. “Due in part to the online nature of our survey and its bias toward a younger demographic, Netflix penetration of 75% of respondents is much higher than Netflix’s actual U.S. household penetration of close to 50%, and we expect Amazon ’s ( AMZN ) penetration of 52% of our sample is also significantly higher than actual,” Power said. Netflix penetration in the first quarter was unchanged from the Q3 2015 survey. But the Amazon Prime subscriber rate of 52% was up from 45% six months ago, Baird said. Akamai Technologies ( AKAM ), a leading enabler of streaming services, “should be well positioned to benefit from increased streaming,” Power said. Power rates Netflix stock neutral and Akamai stock outperform. He does not have a rating on Amazon. Akamai stock rose 2.1% Wednesday and Netflix stock rose 1.5%, while Amazon shares fell a fraction.