Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has answered President Obama’s call to prevent House of Cards spoilers with the Spoiler Foiler, a new feature that lets people sign into Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) with a special filter that blocks all tweets flagged as potentially talking about the new show, reports Jess Denham for The Independent.
Spoilers awkward for full-season releases
The site’s existence is kind of funny, and an obvious push for free advertising, but it does answer a real issue raised by Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s decision to release entire seasons at the same time. Spoilers can ruin someone’s enjoyment of a new show, but it’s impossible to get people not to discuss the new show on social media (nor would Netflix want to stop them – the buzz around hit shows drives subscription numbers). Some people probably had other things to do on Valentine’s Day than watch House of Cards, and not everyone binge watches TV shows. If the filter is effective and people use it, Netflix could probably turn it into a regular feature for future releases, or at least the highly anticipated ones (apparently there was a similar site for the Breaking Bad finale).
The first season of House of Cards was Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s breakthrough hit, proving that the company could produce great television, the second has been met with acclaim so far, and a third season has already been purchased, due sometime next year. Since original content is now a central part of the Netflix bull argument, it makes sense for the company to get as much traction as it can from each release.
Netflix bought first run rights for Star Wars cartoon
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) isn’t ignoring other audience segments. It recently won first-run rights to the newest season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon, and has a series of Marvel superhero titles in the works. Even if House of Cards appeals to adults, their kids have to watch something too, and Netflix is aiming to be the one-stop shop for streaming content.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) stock has recovered from the January slump that affected nearly the entire market and is back on the trendline it has been following since June last year, currently at $435. Some analysts argue that the stock is overbought, but there’s no denying that growth has been solid and no one really doubts the company’s long-term prospects like they did a few years ago.
