Technology, Online Video Rental | featured news

Netflix is moving to protect itself against hostile takeovers, less than a week after activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed a stake of nearly 10 percent in the online video company. Netflix Inc. said Monday that it has adopted a shareholder rights plan, also known as a poison pill. Such a plan is designed to make it difficult or even impossible for someone to take over the company without an agreement from the board. When the provision is triggered, additional shares flood the market and make it prohibitively expensive for a takeover.

YouTube and Paramount Pictures have reached a deal to make nearly 500 films available to rent online, even while their parent companies continue to feud over a $1 billion lawsuit.

Netflix says it will stream certain movies from The Weinstein Co., including "The Artist," under an exclusive licensing agreement.

Apple may be in talks to add streaming movie purchases to its iCloud service, but will Hollywood get onboard or stay loyal to its Ultraviolet service?

Facebook is looking to hire a big-name executive to cultivate relationships and strike deals with the film and music industries to bolster its media offerings.

The company’s decision to split into two businesses has customers complaining that it is treating them badly.

If you're a seasoned Netflix instant streaming user, it may surprise you to know that the company has always had an official policy of limiting the number of simultaneous streams you're using. Now, Netflix has made that policy more concrete by producing an error message if you attempt to access your streaming account when it is already in use.

Netflix cannot afford to reduce the number of titles it acquires due to the competitive environment.

Media chiefs this week sounded a note of caution on Apple's 99-cent digital-rental service for TV shows amid a division in the industry on whether to participate.

Google's YouTube said it will soon begin testing a new video-rental service, starting with movies from the Sundance Film Festival.