#mike vorhaus

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Former comiXology execs David Steinberger and Chip Mosher lunch DSTLRY, a "next gen" comic publisher

Former comiXology execs David Steinberger and Chip Mosher lunch DSTLRY, a "next gen" comic publisher #comics #comicbooks

ComiXology co-founder and former CEO David Steinberger and former comiXology Head of Content Chip Mosher unveiled today DSTLRY. DSTLRY is “a next-generation comics publisher that redefines creator-owned comic books and collectibles.” The publisher will offer customers limited physical and digital item drops, available online or in-store at local comic shops, while providing creators with fairer…

[burlveneer-music]

Seahawks - Island Visions - their album for the KPM Music Library is now on Youtube

Jon Tye and Pete Fowler have been making music as Seahawks for a decade now. Given the sounds they’ve been exploring over those ten years it was a cosmic inevitability that they would be asked to contribute to the catalogue of the legendary library label KPM.

They replied with Island Visions, an exploration of sound for vision where they construct “audio micro-worlds to explore and inhabit”. A way to transport the listener away from the everyday without the bother of getting on an aeroplane. Mind travel is space travel after all, and much better for the environment.

Mostly recorded at The Centre Of Sound in Cornwall, with additional recording at Studio 34 in London, Jon and Pete’s travelling companions on this particular trip were boogie wunderkind Sven Atterton on fretless bass and keys, Nick Mackrory on percussion and the Seahawks live team of Dan Hillman and Alik Peters-Deacon.

From the grooves of Brian Bennett to the moog vibrations of Mike Vickers, the lush textures of Les Baxter to the experimental sounds of Delia Derbyshire and David Vorhaus, this new music channels sounds and moods from across the KPM universe.

[torley]

Hilmar Petursson of CCP Games; Interviewed by Mike Vorhaus of Vorhaus Advisors Creating virtual worlds that are more meaningful than real life has been CCP Games’… Future Look of Retro https://vimeo.com/503748903

[esonetwork]

The Earth Station One Podcast - Our Favorite TV Pilots

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/the-earth-station-one-podcast-our-favorite-tv-pilots/

The Earth Station One Podcast - Our Favorite TV Pilots

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Something TV networks and producers know all too well. Mike, Mike, Michael Falkner, and the award-winning Bobby Nash explore some of the shows we loved at first sight. Plus, writer John Vorhaus reaches inside the comedic toolbox for something to fend off the Geek Seat. All this, along with Ashley’s Box Office Buzz, Angela’s A Geek Girl’s Take, Michelle’s Iconic Rock Moment, Creative Outlet, and Shout Outs!

We want to hear from you! Feedback is always welcome. Please write to us at feedback@earthstationone.com and subscribe and rate the show on Apple Podcast, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, or wherever fine podcasts are found.

Table of Contents 0:00:00 Show Open / Interview with Writer John Vorhaus 0:45:49 Box Office Buzz 0:48:36 Our Favorite TV Pilots 1:50:07 Michelle’s Iconic Rock Moment 1:53:23 Creative Outlet Talking About Kickstarter 2:05:26 A Geek Girl’s Take 2:07:44 Show Close

Links Earth Station One on Apple Podcasts Earth Station One on Stitcher Radio Earth Station One on Spotify Past Episodes of The Earth Station One Podcast The ESO Network Patreon The New ESO Network TeePublic Store ESO Network Patreon Angela’s A Geek Girl’s Take Ashley’s Box Office Buzz Michelle’s Iconic Rock Talk Show The Earth Station One Website The We Be Geeks Collective NSC Live TV Save Our Stages Tifosi Opitical John Vorhaus John Vorhaus Amazon Author Page Creative Criticality Bobby Nash Kickstarter

Promos Tifosi Optics Best Saturday’s of Our Lives NSC Live TV The ESO Network Patreon

If you would like to leave feedback or a comment on the show please feel free to email us at feedback@earthstationone.com

[rogerverhoeven]

The Future Economy of the Metaverse from VentureBeat on Vimeo.

Hilmar Petursson of CCP Games; Interviewed by Mike Vorhaus of Vorhaus Advisors

Creating virtual worlds that are more meaningful than real life has been CCP Games’ mission since the conception of EVE Online, a game that has and continues to blaze a trail for some of the more advanced concepts at play in virtual societies. To achieve this, CCP has pioneered technology and design that facilitates emergent behavior, empowering people with compelling means of self-expression. In this discussion, CCP’s CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson will talk about how the EVE Universe’s complex player-organised social structures and vast player-run economy sets a blueprint for the metaverse, as well as sharing insight into the R&D that CCP has been conducting in recent years.

[manualstogo]

For just $3.99 The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine Released on March 27, 1942: A radio station believes that a retired safe cracker and his henchman are now living in a small mid-western town, and they are offering ten thousand dollars to the person who can discover the identity of infamous safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine. Directed by: Bernard Vorhaus Written by: Paul Armstrong Jr. with screenplay by Olive Cooper and Robert Tasker The Actors: Dennis O'Keefe Mike Jason, Ruth Terry Bonnie Forbes, Gloria Dickson Cleo Arden, Mike's boss, Roman Bohnen Tom Forbes, newspaper editor, and Jimmy Valentine, George E. Stone Mousey, Spencer Charters Cheevers Snow, hotel owner, William B. Davidson Cyrus Ballard, Bobby Larson Mickey Forbes, Joe Cunningham Charles Stanley, Veterinarian, Roscoe Ates Dan Kady, Sheriff, Harry Shannon Pinky, Jed Prouty Maxwell B. Titus, Patsy Parsons Marlene Titus, Linda Brent Letitia Hinkle, manicurist, Wade Boteler Warden Carl Jones, Emmett Vogan District Attorney, Ray Erlenborn sound effects man, Olaf Hytten butler, Lois Collier receptionist, William 'Billy' Benedict bellboy, Dorothy Christy Mrs. Updyke, Guy Usher police inspector, Douglas Evans radio announcer, Sven Hugo Borg Olaf, Al Bridge trustee, Fred Burns westerner, Mary Davenport hotel telephone operator, Virginia Farmer Mrs. Brighton, Dick Elliott Tim Miller, Charles Williams the pitchman, Mary Currier Felice Winters, school teacher, Joel Friedkin unknown, Jack Raymond hot dog man, Jimmie Fox window cleaner, Edmund Cobb police sergeant, Frank Fanning Wilbur, Ben Hall attendant, Ralph Peters unknown, Sada Simmons unknown, Morgan Brown unknown, Margaret Marquis unknown, Rand Brooks unknown Runtime:53 minutes *** This item will be supplied on a quality disc and will be sent in a sleeve that is designed for posting CD's DVDs *** This item will be sent by 1st class post for quick delivery. Should you not receive your item within 12 working days of making payment, plea...

[asfeedin]

GamesBeat Summit Digital: Here’s our final agenda for April 28-29

This year GamesBeat Summit Digital is going to be digital online-only. And it is finally coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We’ve revised the agenda and optimized our virtual conference for your viewing pleasure. If you are interested in attending GamesBeat Summit online, please sign up here.

After careful thought about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we decided not to use centralized studios or physical locations. But we think we can serve our GamesBeat community well with a fully distributed, digital event.

The health and safety of our GamesBeat community, attendees, employees, and sponsors remains our top priority. In this digital event, attendees can watch livestreamed and recorded talks, take part in online networking sessions and digital roundtables, access our gaming partners virtually, and more.

Event details

GamesBeat Summit Digital will provide the same great content and create digital networking experiences, all available remotely. We’ve very grateful that the overwhelming number of our speakers (which we originally recruited for our physical event) and our sponsors have stayed with us. We hope to live up to their belief in us with our talks around the theme of Dawn of the Next Generation.

We will continue to be proactive in our communication and will follow up with more information about technology platforms and logistics in the coming days. It looks like we’re heading toward an even larger even with about 120 speakers in 59 sessions on two simultaneous stages over two days. Here’s the final agenda.

For attendees, you’ll be getting invitations to join using the email you used to register.

Agenda

Tuesday, April 28, 2020 (all times Pacific time)

Above: Dean Takahashi plays on a Origin PC laptop.

Image Credit: Marla Takahashi

8:55 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Tutorial for watching and participating in the event

9:10 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Thanks to sponsors and other announcements by Alex Olshonsky, vice president of sales at VentureBeat

9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Introductory remarks by Dean Takahashi, lead writer for VentureBeat’s GamesBeat (on both the Boss Stage and Hero Stage)

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Above: “Communities That Last for Years” with Owen Mahoney, President & CEO of Nexon and moderated by Michael Pachter at GamesBeat Summit 2019.

Image Credit: Jason Wilson/GamesBeat

Boss Stage/Hero Stage: “Serious money going into esports and gaming: Mergers, acquisitions, and fundraising trends” with Alina Soltys, founder of Quantum Tech Partners

​9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Boss Stage: “The rise of new independent publishers” with Michael Worosz, executive vice president for corporate development and independent publishing at Take-Two Interactive, moderated by Michael Metzger, partner at Drake Star Partners

Hero Stage: “The future of gaming is user-generated content” with Matt Curtis, VP of Developer Relations at Roblox

10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Boss stage: “The world has changed,” with Owen Mahoney, CEO of Nexon, moderated by Michael Pachter of Wedbush

​Hero Stage: “Esports beyond the hype — challenges and realities of running an esports business in 2020” with Neo Liu, head of publishing for Tencent North America; Karim Farghaly of Bandai Namco; and Jacob Navok, CEO of Genvid Technologies; moderated by David Hoppe of Gamma Law

Above: Mike Morhaime is former president of Blizzard Entertainment.

Image Credit: Mike Morhaime

10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Boss Stage: Fireside chat with Mike Morhaime, cofounder and former president of Blizzard Entertainment, moderated by Seth Schiesel

​Hero Stage: “The Leisure Economy” with John Linden, CEO, Mythical Games, moderated by journalist/author Harold Goldberg

11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Boss Stage: “Championing the video game industry and culture” with Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, moderated by Keisha Howard of Sugar Gamers

​Hero Stage: “Choose your own adventure: The evolution of storytelling through the next generation” with Gary Whitta of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, moderated by Tina Amini of IGN

​11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Gaming’s future as the best form of entertainment,” Jon Goldman of Greycroft, Skybound, and GC Tracker Fund; moderated by Andreea Enache of Blind Squirrel Entertainment

​Hero Stage: “We are who we pretend to be” with Edward Saatchi of Fable Studio, moderated by Dean Takahashi, lead writer for GamesBeat

Above: Jon Goldman is general partner of GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund and a Greycroft venture partner.

Image Credit: Jon Goldman

​12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Networking roundtables, Slack Q&A, community Discussion

Roundtable Sessions: 1. “Dealing with Disruptive Behaviour in Games” moderated by Carlos Figueiredo of Two Hat Security 2. “Hyper-casual Games – Beyond Short-term Success” moderated by Chris Lefebvre of Lion Studios Canada 3. “Frontiers in Game AI” moderated by Christoffer Holmgård and Julian Togelius of Modi.ai

12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Boss Stage/Hero Stage

“The Power of Games for Climate Change” with Alan Gershenfeld of E-Line Media; Mathias Norvig of Sybo; Pietari Päivänen of Supercell; moderated by Sam Barratt of UN Environment

1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “How to succeed in free-to-play? Compete with yourself” with Scopely co-CEO Javier Ferreira, moderated by Michael Metzger of Drake Star Partners

Hero Stage: “Game investments in the age of the coronavirus” with Ryan McDermott of Resolute Partners Group

​1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Facebook creative testing: Why the control video ad is so hard to beat” with Brian Bowman, CEO of Consumer Acquisition )

Hero Stage: “Using AI for game testing,” with PinkLion CEO Jennifer Bonine

​2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Console cycles: The old, the new, and the future” with Rob Dyer, chief operating officer at Capcom, moderated by Mike Vorhaus of Vorhaus Advisors

​Hero Stage: “Bulletproofing your brand strategy in the age of influencers” with Doron Nir, CEO of StreamElements

​2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Boss Stage: “What to expect in early-stage fundraising” with David Gardner of London Venture Partners; Gregory Milken of March Capital Partners; and Shanti Bergel of Transcend Fund; moderated by David Chang of Juno Capital

​2:30 p.m. – -3:00 p.m.

Hero Stage: “Productivity without crunch in game academia and industry” with Richard Lemarchand, associate professor at USC Games Program, moderated by Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games

​3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Hero Stage: Series A/B Panel with Phil Sanderson of Griffin Gaming Partners; Michael Cheung of Makers Fund; Rick Yang of NEA; moderated by Eric Goldberg of Crossover Technologies

3:45 pm – 4 p.m. Hero Stage break

Above: Jenova Chen is cofounder of Thatgamecompany, creator of games like Journey, Flower, Flow, and Sky.

Image Credit: Dean Takahashi

​3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Boss Stage: “How Thatgamecompany enabled a wholesome community in Journey and Sky” with Jenova Chen, cofounder of Thatgamecompany

​4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Building out charity in the games space” with Stephen Machuga of Stack Up

​Hero Stage: “What games can tell you about people” with Chethan Ramachandran, CEO of Skillprint; moderated by Keisha Howard of Sugar Gamers

​4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Boss Stage: “The next generation of multi-dimensional games and large-scale VR development,” with Peter Akemann, CEO at Skydance Interactive, moderated by Mike Minotti of GamesBeat (Start of Oculus Venues recording)

​Hero Stage: “The realities of crossplay and managing live services” with Jesse Houston, CEO of Phoenix Labs; moderated by Dean Takahashi

​5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “The art of inspiration: ideas on a deadline” with Glen Schofield, founder of Striking Distance Studios

​Hero Stage: “External development stories” with Mihai Pohontu, CEO of Amber Studios

​5:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.

Boss Stage: Reception begins. GamesBeat Summit Visionary Awards with Don Daglow and Pete Hines

5:50 p.m. Josh Tsui, director of Insert Coin, introduces his film excerpt from documentary on Midway Games. Shows excerpt of the film on Oculus Venues and Hearo.Live.

Reception continues until 7 p.m.

Connect with the community online. Join online Q&A, breakout sessions, and try fun and new digital event technology.

​Wednesday, April 29, 2020 (all times Pacific)

Above: Andrea Rene

8:00 a.m.

Women in Gaming Virtual Breakfast, Presented by Niantic. Speakers include Kellee Santiago of Niantic, Nonny de la Peña of Emblematic Group, and Elizabeth Howard of Aspyr (invitation only)

9:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. Tutorial video rerun

9:45 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Boss Stage/Hero Stage: Sponsor thanks and announcements by Gina Joseph, director of strategic partnerships at VentureBeat

​9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Boss Stage/Hero Stage: Opening remarks — Mike Minotti, reviews editor at GamesBeat

Above: MissesMae is a former nurse turned popular livestreamer.

Image Credit: MissesMae

​10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Boss Stage: “How to run a great writers room” with Adam Foshko of HBO; Derek Kolstad, screenwriter, moderated by Mark Long of Neon Media

Hero Stage: “The future of gaming influencers” with Mari Takahashi of Smosh Games; Joshua Ovenshire of Arcade Cloud; MissesMae; moderated by Andrea Rene of What’s Good Games

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Boss Stage: “Recapturing the history of games,” Josh Tsui of Ten Point Oh and Blake Harris, author of Console Wars and A History of the Future; moderated by Dean Takahashi

Above: Blake Harris’ most recent book is The History of the Future.

Image Credit: Blake Harris

Hero Stage: Lightning Round Talks: 1. “Play with My Emotions: A Case for (more) Romance & Sex in Games’ with Zsuzsa James, Team Finland coordinator for video games and esports 2. “The Blue Ocean of Interactive Storytelling” Andrew Maximov, CEO of Promethean AI 3. “GPEG: A new type of stream for games, a new type of Instant Interactive content for cable and OTT audiences” with Barry Jenkins, CEO and cofounder of Primal Space Systems and Instant Interactive 4. “The Potential of Voice for Games” with Jeferson Valadares, Co-founder & CEO of Doppio Games

​11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Boss Stage: “Why gaming will be at the center of the future entertainment universe” with Josh Yguado, cofounder and president of Jam City, moderated by Amy Allison of Skydance

​Hero Stage: “Games to play in quarantine” with Elan Lee, cofounder of Exploding Kittens; moderated by Theresa Duringer of Temple Gates Games

Above: Mitch Lasky of Benchmark

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Boss Stage: Fireside chat with Mitch Lasky of Benchmark Capital; moderated by Eric Goldberg of Crossover Technologies

​11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Hero Stage: “How game developers can adapt to the world after COVID-19,” with Renee Gittins, executive director of IGDA, moderated by Justin Berenbaum of Xsolla

​12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Dawn of a new era: COVID-19, the games industry, and #PlayApartTogether” with Bernard Kim of Zynga; moderated by Patrick Shanley of The Hollywood Reporter

12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Boss Stage “Spatial audio: Why you should care” with Andy Vaughan, developer relations manager at Dolby, moderated by Jamil Moledina of XP Consulting

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Esports and GaaS in the Asia Pacific region” with Tim Guhl of Singtel, moderated by Lisa Cosmas Hanson of Niko Partners

Hero Stage: “The future of world-building and narrative in games” with Danny Bilson, head of USC Games; chair of interactive media, games division at USC, moderated by Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners

Above: Danny Bilson is head of USC Games.

Image Credit: USC

​12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Offscreen: Networking Roundtables, Slack Q&A, Community Discussion

Roundtable Sessions: 1. “Lightning Round Speakers Q&A” moderated by Zsuzsa James, Andrew Maximov, Jeferson Valadares, and Barry Jenkins 2. “Facebook Creative Testing & Creative Research” moderated by Brian Bowman, CEO of Consumer Acquisition 3. “Spatial Audio: Why You Should Care – Session Q&A” moderated by Andrew Vaughan of Dolby and Jamil Moledina of XP Consulting

1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Gaming has always paved the way in mobile and user acquisition” with Paul Muller, CTO of Adjust; moderated by Dean Takahashi

Hero Stage: “The EVE Effect” with Hilmar Pétursson, CEO of CCP

1:30 p.m – 2:00 p.m.

Boss Stage: “The Metaverse is Coming” with Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity; Matthew Ball of Epyllion Industries; Raph Koster of Playable Worlds; Frederic Descamps of Manticore Games; moderated by Sam Englebardt of Galaxy Interactive

Hero Stage: “The mainstreaming of esports,” panel including Mark Chang, head of gaming and esports at Intel; Ari Segal, CEO of Immortals Gaming Club; Joe Barnes, director of Bud Light Sports Marketing; Grace Dolan, vice president of integrated marketing at Samsung Electronics America; moderated by Dean Takahashi

​2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Above: John Smedley of Amazon Game Studios

Image Credit: SOE

Boss Stage: “Location-based entertainment in a post-COVID-19 world” with Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit Circus, moderated by Blair Herter, senior vice president of partnerships of Advncr

Hero Stage: “Strategies for mental wellness in gaming,” speakers John Smedley of Amazon Game Studios; Mark Chandler, founder of The International Game Summit for Mental Health; and Eve Crevoshay, executive director of Take This.

​2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Boss Stage: “The real world games of the future: Designing AR/Geospatial/Purposeful games,” with Greg Borrud of Niantic, moderated by Amanda Farough of F-Squared

​Hero Stage: “Diversity and inclusion: How to create virtual and accessible resources for marginalized communities during a pandemic” with Nika Nour, executive director of IGDA Foundation, moderated by Jessica Chobot

Above: Nika Nour(left) is the new head of the IGDA Foundation and Renee Gittins is executive director of the IGDA.

Image Credit: IGDA

​3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Can mobile games be a $1 trillion business this decade?” with Neil Young, CEO of N3twork; moderated by Bing Gordon of Kleiner Perkins

Hero Stage: Blockchain panel with Sebastian Borget of The Sandbox; Peter Kieltyka of Horizon Blockchain Games; and Eric Schiermeyer of Blockchain Game Partners; Taehoon Kim, CEO of nWay; moderated by James Zhang of Concept Art House

​3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Break

​3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Games M&A: Open for business?” with Michael Chang of NCSoft; Nick Tuosto of LionTree; and Affan Butt of Aream & Co.; moderated by Mark Stevens of Fenwick & West

​Hero Stage: “Games in China – demand doesn’t cease” with Bill Wang of Skystone Games; Amy Huang of Mattel163; Cynthia Du of Cocos; Jeff Lyndon of iDreamSky; moderated by Lisa Cosmas Hanson of Niko Partners

Above: Mike Frazzini, vice president of Amazon Games.

Image Credit: Dean Takahashi

4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Boss Stage: “Working backward from the players: Amazon’s approach to games,” with Mike Frazzini, vice president of Amazon, moderated by Dean Takahashi

Hero Stage: “Player behavior: Your secret growth tool,” with Carlos Figueiredo of Two Hat Security, Clara Siegel of Facebook, and Kim Voll of Stray Bombay; moderated by Kate Edwards of The Global Game Jam

​4:45 p.m. Closing remarks by Dean Takahashi

4:50 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Networking reception. Join online Q&A, breakout sessions, and try fun and new digital event technology.

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Tags: 2829, agenda, April, Digital, Final, GamesBeat, Heres, Summit

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[helios7media-blog]

How come Netflix so successful that it has billions of dollars worth of debt?

Netflix reached 104 million subscribers, 25% more than last year. However, experts say they will need luck not to drown in debt if the pace of growth is not maintained. Despite its success, Netflix has multi-million dollar debt Why is Netflix so successful that it has billions of dollars worth of debt? With over 100 million subscribers out and with its stock market constantly rising, everything seems to smile at Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=778905ZXuUg The online content distribution platform, which in its origins was limited to sending DVD by mail to its customers, became in a few years an almost indispensable option for fans of movies and television series. The figures speak for themselves: By the middle of last July, Netflix reached 104 million subscribers, 25% more than last year and almost quadruple five years ago. Almost half of them are outside the United States. His series and movies account for more than a third of the world's top-rated Internet downloads. Its more than 50 original series got 91 nominations for the television Emmy Awards this year, just behind the HBO cable chain. The Netflix series "For 13 reasons" generated much interest and some controversy after its premiere on Netflix last April. But not all numbers are so positive. The Los Angeles Times published an investigation this week that said the company amassed about $ 20.54 billion in long-term debt and payment obligations for content distribution rights. Netflix reaction Netflix does not agree with the vision presented by the US newspaper. In a statement sent to BBC, the platform denies having a debt of $ 20 billion: "The Los Angeles Times note incorrectly calculates our debt in accounting for our disclosure obligations (for example, content contracts with studies) Like $ 15.7 billion of debt but it is not. "The correct figure is a total debt of US $ 4.8 billion (our market value is the US $ 75 billion). " The US $ 15.7 billion are expenses for future content that appear on the statement. Each cable network and broadcast platform with distribution rights agreements use the same structure. For Ted Sarandos, head of Netflix content, the important thing is to reach as many niche markets as possible.

Big Spending

Beyond the differences on how to count those millions of dollars, what is clear is that Netflix is ​​investing money at a fast pace. It's net spending this year is expected to be $ 2.5 billion from $ 1.7 billion last year. I think Netflix will need some luck not to drown in debt in case the growth rate slows. " Mike Vorhaus, Magid Advisors It recently moved its headquarters to southern California to a 14-story building in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The fact that its shares continue to rise indicates that, for the moment, investors do not think this pattern of spending is wrong. For them, the logic is that "you have to spend money to make money." Netflix shares have risen significantly in the last year. But some industry experts warn of the danger of creating a bubble that can explode if Netflix fails to produce enough successes to attract new subscribers. "No one is ever the dominant player forever," Mike Vorhaus, president of Magid Advisors, a media consultant, told The Los Angeles Times. "I think they will need some luck not to drown in debt in case of slowing growth."

Not so "Netflix Originals"

As the company itself acknowledges, a large portion of Netflix's expenses go towards the rights to distribute content from television series, animation programs, and movies. Many of Netflix's most popular and acclaimed products are acquisitions of other studios despite being broadcast as "Netflix Originals." In fact, many of Netflix's best-known programs are not made by Netflix. The Orange Is the New Black's series a production of Lionsgate, while House of Cards comes from Media Rights Capital, an independent film and television studio. The Crown is a production of Sony Pictures Television, while Iron Fist is a creation of Marvel. Netflix pays an undisclosed amount in exclusive rights licenses to broadcast these series.

Favoring own production

The company wants to change this trend and, according to the directors, the goal is to increase the production of own content by 50%. "There's a lot of capital up front, and you get a payout over several years," director Reed Hastings said in a recent call with investors. "The irony is that the faster we grow and the faster we grow our production, the more we will be tied to the cash flow available." As a result, Netflix acknowledges that it expects to "have a negative cash flow for several years," which means that debt will continue to grow, at least in the short term. The company's strategy is to invest more and more in self-produced series such as the hit Stranger Things and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Creating new content is also essential for competing with rivals like Amazon, YouTube, Hulu and television networks. However, for Hastings, this competition is not the main concern. "The fact that each service produces original and exclusive content means that we are not substitutes between us but complementary," he says.

International Expansion

For Wall Street, subscriber growth is the key indicator of Netflix's health status. As the US market becomes saturated, managers will have more pressure to seek new users beyond their borders. Productions such as the South Korean film Okja and the "3%" series in Brazil are designed to appeal to both local audiences and viewers around the world. "House of Cards", which is broadcast on Netflix, is a production of Media Rights Capital The company can not enter China due to regulatory obstacles but has its eyes set on Asia. "We are expanding in India, Japan, and we are looking at it from market to market," Hastings told investors. Netflix has chosen debt as its preferred method also to finance these global ambitions. Time will tell if the commitment to indebtedness to a future of international expansion and greater own production yields the fruits that Netflix seeks or if, as the most pessimistic, we are facing a bubble that will eventually explode. Netflix's series has had a varying reception: "Stranger Things" soon became a hit with critics and audiences, but shows such as "Santa Clarita Diet" and "The Ranch" did not spark so much interest. Click to Post

[playistic]

Study finds American families love playing games together on consoles

Many of us grew up in a world where video games were a brand new phenomenon, and that meant they confused and frightened our parents. But today’s families view the console as a source of entertainment for everyone. Sony Computer Entertainment America commissioned research firm Frank N. Magic Associates to look into the attitudes toward […] http://goo.gl/wsJGNg #Playistic