Heena Sharma Blog

  Streaming giant Netflix is testing a new feature that could help it crack down on password sharing where it is rolling out alerts asking users to verify they are authorized to watch on the account to be able to keep watching. "This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement as quoted by CNN adding that the company's terms of service say accounts "may not be shared with individuals beyond your household." CNN reported that when a user selects their profile on a shared Netflix account, a pop-up will ask them to verify the account by confirming with a text or email sent to the account holder. Users can also choose to verify later, in which case, the pop-up will show up again at an undetermined later time. If they can't confirm they're an authorized user, viewers will be prompted to set up a new account. "The new feature is just a test and it's ro...

  Leading video streaming platform Netflix has launched a TikTok-rival called Fast Laughs that gives mobile users an instant, full-screen feed of funny clips from its huge comedy catalog. Fast Laughs, currently only available for iOS device owners in select countries, looks and feels like TikTok or Instagram Reels. "Different short clips -- taken from shows like Big Mouth or stand-up specials from comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Ali Wong -- play directly within the Netflix app. If one of the shows, films, or specials sparks interest, people can add said title to their saved list to watch later," Netflix said in a statement late on Wednesday. Fast Laughs offers a full-screen feed from films (like Murder Mystery), series (Big Mouth), sitcoms (The Crew) and stand-up from comedians like Kevin Hart and Ali Wong. Read More

  US-based content streaming platform Netflix on Friday said it will host ' StreamFest ' in India on December 5-6 that will allow non-subscribers to experience the service for free. The move is aimed at bringing new users to the platform that competes against players like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and Zee5 in the burgeoning OTT (over the top) market in India. "At Netflix, we want to bring the most amazing stories from across the world to all fans of entertainment in India. It's why we're hosting StreamFest: an entire weekend (December 5 12.01am-December 6 11.59pm) of free Netflix," Netflix India Vice President (Content) Monika Shergill said in a blogpost. She added that non-users of Netflix can sign up with their name, email or phone number, and password and start streaming without any payment. Read More

Netflix Inc on Tuesday reported a surge in new sign-ups as audiences stayed in their homes to help fight the novel coronavirus and binged on series such as "Tiger King," but the company predicted a weaker second half of the year if quarantine orders are lifted. The world's largest streaming service gained 15.8 million paying customers in the first three months of the year, bringing its global total to 182.9 million at the end of March. That nearly doubled the average Wall Street expectation of nearly 8 million, according to FactSet. The company warned, however, that it expected fewer new customers from July to December compared with a year earlier. Read More

Video streaming major Netflix on Tuesday said it will reduce traffic on telecommunications networks by 25 per cent while maintaining the quality of service for users in India, as part of its efforts to help mitigate network congestion amid the coronavirus pandemic. Companies like Amazon Prime Video are also temporarily lowering bit rates - a measure of how much data is being transferred - to ease pressure on telecom network infrastructure. Consumption of digital content has gone up manifold as people are forced to stay indoors as almost the entire country is under lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19. "Given the crisis, we've developed a way to reduce Netflix's traffic on telecommunications networks by 25 per cent while also maintaining the quality of our service. So consumers should continue to get the quality that comes with their plan - whether it's Ultra-High, High or Standard Definition," Netflix VP Content Delivery Ken Florance sa...

After launching several smartphones last year, Chinese smartphone brand Realme is continuing to bring more smartphones to the Indian market. After the Realme 5i, the company has brought the Realme C3, aimed at those who love to binge-watch movies and web series. The Realme C3 comes with some notable software and hardware upgrades over the Realme C2, including MediaTek's Helio G70 Processor chipset and a 5,000-mAh battery. In the first impression, we felt the smartphone was worthy of some praise but we couldn't just do that at its face value, so we used the phone for a few days and here is what we found: Design and display The phone's textured back panel is a deviation from the usual gradient design we see in most smartphones these days. Apart from that, the phone is lightweight, despite a 5, 000mAh battery. The power and volume buttons are on the right and left sides, respectively. But they are very sleek, hence a bit difficult to locate. The phone has a tra...

Netflix Inc missed Wall Street subscriber forecasts for the first quarter Tuesday, amid pressure from lower-cost services from Walt Disney Co and Apple Inc in the streaming video wars. The streaming giant added more paying subscribers than Wall Street expected in the fourth quarter, beating international subscriber estimates but missing estimates for U.S. subscriber growth. Netflix shares were up 1.5 per cent in volatile after-hours trading on Tuesday. The company acknowledged that competitive pressure and a recent price hike impacted its US business, where subscriber growth fell short of analyst estimates. Competition had a more muted impact on its viewership in Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, the company wrote in a letter to investors. The Disney+ and Apple TV+ streaming services both launched in the United States in November. Disney+, which is also live in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will launch in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Austri...

The US-based Netflix has started testing longer subscription plans in the country, as it looks to woo new users in India where online video consumption has seen massive growth in the past few years. According to sources, Netflix has started testing multiple months subscription plans (three, six and 12 months) that will be offered at a discounted price. However, this will be available only to some new users, and they may see different options, they added. The sources said the intent of the pilot is to see whether subscribers will be open to paying for several months, or a year in advance. Earlier this year, Netflix had piloted and then launched a mobile phone-only plan in the Indian market -- a first for the company globally. The new long-term plans being piloted are also India-first. When contacted, a Netflix spokesperson said, "We believe that our members may value the flexibility that comes from being able to pay for a few months at once. As always, this is a ...

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday launched its broadband offering, Airtel Xstream Fibre promising 1Gbps speed for Rs 3,999 a month, raising the competitive heat in a market that has recently seen commercial roll-out of Jio's fibre based services. "Starting today (on Wednesday), Airtel Xstream Fibre is available to Homes, SOHO (Small Office Home Office) and small commercial establishments in Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad," Bharti Airtel said in a statement. In the coming months Airtel Xstream Fibre will be rolled out in more markets, the statement added. "Airtel Xstream Fibre offers unlimited broadband at 1Gbps for just Rs 3,999/month. It also offers unlimited landline calls to any network in India along with exclusive 'AirtelThanks' benefits...," it said. The benefits include three months Netflix subscription gift, one year Amazon Prime me...

Streaming giant Netflix on Wednesday announced a long-term partnership with Karan Johar's digital arm Dharmatic Entertainment to create a broad range of new fiction and non-fiction series and films exclusively for its viewers. Johar, who first collaborated with Netflix on the 2018 anthology film "Lust Stories", is also directing "Ghost Stories" and producing "Guilty" for Netflix. The reach of "Lust Stories", he said, made him realise that "sky is the limit" with such partnership. "What we have decided to do is basically come together to create content to empower not only ourselves, but also the consumer, and to make sure that we can create diverse content across genres, and engage not just an Indian or diaspora audience but an Asian audience," Johar told PTI in an interview. His brush with Netflix, the filmmaker added, led to the setting up of Dharmatic. Having grown up in the lap of mainstream cinema, Joh...

Aiming to come close to its rivals like Amazon Prime and Hotstar in India, American video streaming giant Netflix on Wednesday unveiled a mobile subscription plan for India at Rs 199 per month. The plan will enable users to view content in standard definition (SD) on one smartphone or tablet at a time. This is Netflix's fourth Indian plan, in addition to the existing basic, standard and premium plans which are priced between Rs 499 and Rs 799. "Our members in India watch more on their mobiles than members any other country in the world -- and they love to download our shows and films. We believe this new plan will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit people who like to watch on their smartphones and tablets -- both on the go and at home," Ajay Arora, Director, Product Innovation, Netflix, told reporters here. "Indian consumers watch on the go. And you can't beat that feeedom." According to a FICCI-EY 2019 report, Indians spend 30...

Walt Disney Co unveiled new details on Thursday about Disney+, a family-friendly digital video subscription that is set to debut later this year and compete with Netflix Inc. The ad-free service will include movies and TV series from Disney and will feature programming from the Marvel superhero universe, the "Star Wars" galaxy, "Toy Story" creator Pixar animation and the National Geographic channel. ALSO READ: $7-a-month Disney streaming service to take on Netflix, launch on Nov 12 It will cost $7 a month or $70 per year. When the service debuts on Nov. 12, some of the programming available from Disney's libraries will include: - Classic Disney animated movies such as "101 Dalmations" and "Bambi" - The entire Pixar catalog including "A Bug's Life" and "Cars" - "Captain Marvel" and three other Marvel films - The first and second "Star Wars" trilogies - Live-action movies such a...

Netflix lifted the curtains off its plans for Asia expansion by announcing the launch of 17 new originals, nine of them hailing from India. The announcement was made by Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings and chief content officer Ted Sarandos at the See What's Next: Asia event here. "What we do is very special. We invest in stories and we commission some of the best stories around the world," Hastings said. "And in particular with Asian filmmakers, storytellers from India, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and everywhere throughout Asia, we are producing stories and sharing them. What happens when you share stories, it builds connections," he added. The line-up of its made-in-Asia shows also includes five Anime titles from Japan and original productions in Thai, Korean and Chinese languages. "Our core belief is that great stories can come from anywhere and right now, they are also coming from Asia. Whether it is 'Sacred Games' o...

Long hours before the screen, bingeing on your favourite show as the night slips into dawn and another day beckons that this all too familiar scenario can spiral into a medically certifiable addiction is already in evidence, say doctors. There is increasing anecdotal evidence of people getting hooked to multiple screens television, computer and phone -- with online video streaming platforms like Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime offering entire seasons of television shows and thousands of films at the touch of a button. Now, in what could be India's first such case, a 26-year-old in Bangalore is being treated for " Netflix addiction ". The young man, being treated at Bangalore's National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), reportedly turned to the online video streaming platform to keep himself occupied during a six-month period of unemployment before he realised he just couldn't stop. "He used to watch (online series) ...

Netflix has officially green lit the hit series " Sacred Games " for the second season. The thriller series, based on author Vikram Chandra's novel of the same name, features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan in the lead. Directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, the first season of the series premiered on Netflix on July 6. ALSO READ: Sacred Games, Netflix's first Indian original, a gripping crime drama "We've been thrilled by the response to Sacred Games from fans worldwide, and especially in India, to this high-quality production. It's incredibly exciting for us to take the story of Sacred Games forward and open a new chapter in the series with its second season," said Erik Barmack, vice president, international originals at Netflix.

This is the second content partnership Airtel has announced in the country in as many weeks. Last week, it announced a long-term content and distribution partnership with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Companies News : Airtel and Netflix have announced an expansion of their partnership in India through which subscribers of select Airtel Postpaid and V-Fiber home broadband plans will receive a three-month free Netflix subscription. After this, these subscribers will be able to pay for Netflix subscription using their Airtel postpaid or home broadband bill. Existing Netflix subscribers will also be eligible for this gift. Subscribers not eligible for the gift will be able to sign up to Netflix through Airtel’s applications and pay for their subscription using their Airtel bill. The telecom operator will announce details of eligible postpaid mobile and home broadband plans over the coming weeks. Netflix and Airtel have also partnered to promote Netflix content through a de...

Netflix is all set to launch its second comic-book franchise, 'Prodigy' by author Mark Millar.'Prodigy' will be illustrated by 'Batman' artist Rafael Albuquerque, with whom Millar had previously worked on the popular comic book 'Huck', confirmed The Entertainment News : Netflix is all set to launch its second comic-book franchise, 'Prodigy' by author Mark Millar. 'Prodigy' will be illustrated by 'Batman' artist Rafael Albuquerque, with whom Millar had previously worked on the popular comic book 'Huck', confirmed The Hollywood Reporter. The franchise will revolve around Nobel prize-winning scientist Edison Crane, who is not satisfied by running the world's most successful business and wants to engage in constant challenge. Crane, who is also a genius composer and an Olympic-level athlete, will also be seen as addicted to the mysteries of the world as he is to sit at the numero-uno spot of the Fort...

The film tests the limits of humanity, friendship and cruelty, and shows two young men swept away by the currents of a series of cover-ups and their consequences Entertainment News : In the end it’s all about the choices that make or break a person. Or is it? When Vaughn (Jack Lowden), cradling his newborn child, stares chillingly at the camera for a few seconds, he must have been lost in the puzzle that begins during a nightmarish Highland deerstalking trip. Writer-director Matt Palmer’s Calibre, now streaming on Netflix, dwells on the premise of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and transcends into a grim tale about the unfortunate choices Vaughn and his friend, Marcus (Martin McCann), make after a mind-numbing mishap. Their guilt, angst and helplessness are magnified against the backdrop of an economically stagnant Scottish countryside where the locals are the law of the land. In its 1 hour 41-minute ...