Reed Hastings has thrown down the gauntlet to the gold-standard of pay-tv and on-demand as a new model emerges, largely defined by consumers.

Netflix has officially surpassed HBO in subscribers, reporting 29.17 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, while HBO ended 2012 with 28.7 million, according to SNL Kagan. The company’s stock passed $200 a share for the first time since 2011 after reporting its quarterly earnings.

Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix told GQ that, "The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.” It looks like they're well on their way. 

Aside from subscribers and revenue, Netflix is now competing with HBO for talent and creative ideas. The streaming company recently launched a new original series, Hemlock Grove, while it's slated to capitalize on the Arrested Development series in May. "This is the direction that storytelling is evolving, where you're going to have the most interesting story lines, the most interesting characters," Kevin Spacey, star and executive producer of the Netflix original series House of Cards. "What a company like Netflix is doing is the ultimate expression of individual control, proof of what people's attention span really is." 

Of Netflix’s subscriber increase in Q1, more than two million in the US are attributed to the success of its first original series. Those who checked in to Netflix for House of Cards stayed for the most part, with fewer than 8,000 who paid the $7.99 monthly fee to watch the show choosing to cancel.Continue reading...

Ladies, this is not your mother's weight-loss plan! Weight Watchers—which also lately has taken aim at men—and Slim-Fast are overhauling their approach to marketing in more significant ways than ever, as the dieting industry continues to grow but also has welcomed new forms of competition.

Slim-Fast's new approach is the more striking one, perhaps because the Unilever-owned brand has been dwindling steadily for years since it was synonymous with weight-loss products. Its new "Get What You Want" advertising campaign communicates the real reason women want to lose weight, and it has to do with sex appeal, not health and fitness.Continue reading...

The epic battle that is being waged between Samsung and Apple goes well beyong mobile technology. In fact, both brands are racing to the finish to release innovative products like Smart TVs and techy accessories that will eventually mold consumers into walking, talking brand ambassadors.

The latest staged battle ground is, oddly enough, the living room. While Apple TV's streaming device floats around the market and rumors continue to swirl about an actual TV, Samsung got a head start by shipping its souped up Smart TV line (heavily promoted at CES) in the U.S. this month. A star-studded launch event in New York focused on the brand's two models, the LED F8000 and the F8500 Plasma TV, which range in price from $2,199 to $3,699.

“What really makes the TVs stand out are the built-in software called S Recommendation that helps you find shows to watch and the integrated Web cameras and sensors for motion and voice control,” notes Business Insider. “The trend with all TVs this year revolves around interconnectivity and bringing the tablet and smartphone experience into the living room. To that effect, Samsung touted its TV's ability to act as multimedia hubs where owners can interact with the sets using their voice or even gestures.”Continue reading...

Analysts had thought that Nike’s third quarter earnings would come in at 67 cents per share, but when the info was finally doled out Thursday, the company surprised with a 16 percent increase in net income to $662 million. That’s 73 cents per share. Not too shabby.

The sporting brand saw growth across the globe, except for a teensy consumer market called Asia. Apparently, Nike is doing just fine without China and Japan, as stocks hit a 20-month high at $58.69, Bloomberg reports.

"Our team delivered strong results in Q3. We did it with a relentless flow of innovation into our key categories," said Mark Parker, president and CEO of Nike. "Given the diversity of our portfolio, we're able to capture big opportunities that drive sustainable, profitable growth. At the same time we continue to invest in new ways to enhance athletic performance, build strong consumer communities, and improve how we design and manufacture our products. That’s how we increase our potential and drive shareholder value."Continue reading...

Politicians love to talk about taxes, but pretty much nobody else does. Except, of course, those tax-happy preparation companies, who will do anything to show you just how easy and fun they’ll make the process if you want to bring your shoebox full of numbers to their light-filled, homey offices filled with smiling employees.

Whether tax-prep ads equate with reality or not, they are out in full force in the final weeks of tax season. Ace Metrix rates TurboTax’s work to be the most effective tax ads to debut this year. In fact, TurboTax has hammered its competition and placed eight of its ads on the Top 10 list.Continue reading...

Under Armour is not happy with Nike right about now. The point of contention is over the phrase “I Will,” which Under Armour trademarked back in 2000 and has used in many ad campaigns, including one launched last week, its largest in history.

Nike, famous for its “Just Do It” tagline, has been using the phrase “I will” in its ads a little too much recently for Under Armour’s liking. So, a trademark suit was filed Thursday to stop Nike from using “any form of that phrase” as well as to turn over “unspecified punitive damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition,” the Baltimore Sun reports.

The ads, which Nike placed on Facebook and Twitter late last year, use “I will” to begin sentences such as “I will finish what I started” laid over an image of a basketball player dunking. Over an image of runners, Nike placed the text “I will sweat while they sleep.” Another ad that Under Armour is surely seething about is one for Nike’s #makeitcount campaign, which gives a laundry list of what different athletes will do in 2013, ending with “We Will #makeitcount.” Continue reading...

Tiffany is more than irked at Costco for selling diamond engagement rings as "Tiffany" rings. The luxury jeweler last week formally filed suit against the wholesale retail giant.

Costco CEO Craig Jelinek commented in an internal email communication that was sent to all employees this evening [Feb. 18, 8:27 pm EST], "We are disappointed that our efforts to resolve the issue with them did not result in an amicable solution as we had hoped."

Jelinek also acknowledged that the retailer erred by using the word "Tiffany" in describing the engagement rings:

"That was intended to describe a setting style used in those rings, and was not intended to claim that the rings were of any particular brand. In retrospect, it would have been better had we not used that description the way we did."

Below, read Costco's company-wide email:Continue reading...

Despite record sales of iPhones and iPads, Apple's first-quarter earnings inched up a mere 0.1 percent, the company said late today.

The news immediately sent Apple's stock 6 percent lower, the New York Times reported. All told, Apple's stock value has fallen 16 percent in the past three months, the Wall Street Journal said.

The company reported sales in the last quarter of a record 47.8 million iPhones, marking a 29 percent increase from a year before. Still, analysts had projected sales of up to 50 million, prompting WSJ's headline: "Apple Earnings Disappoint."

The earnings report comes as the brand finds itself under increasing pressure worldwide as competitors offer cheaper products that hold strong appeal to a growing global middle class.Continue reading...