美国国家公共电台 NPR Is Netflix On Its Way To World Domination Of Streaming?

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Netflix blew past Wall Street expectations this week and added close to 7.5 million new subscribers. Its popularity has been leaving rivals Amazon and Hulu in the dust. NPR's Laura Sydell looks at whether the company that made binge watching a thing can keep this up.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE¹: Back in 2013, when "House Of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey and Robin² Wright, premiered, it was groundbreaking TV. Big producers like HBO, Showtime, AMC had turned it down. But as a subscription³ streaming service, Netflix had been able to gather a lot of data about its users, and it saw a perfect fit.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HOUSE OF CARDS")

ROBIN WRIGHT: (As Claire Underwood) I have a history with Francis. I have a future with him. And it's bigger than a moment.

SYDELL: It was bigger than a moment. The viewers loved it, and it became the first original online-only series to receive major Emmy nominations⁴.

DANIEL IVES: Right now Netflix is the only game in town.

SYDELL: Daniel Ives is an analyst⁵ at GBH Insights who follows Netflix. Ives says, on average, viewers spend five hours a week on Hulu and Amazon and 10 hours a week on Netflix.

IVES: They just continue to have just massive fuel in the tank. They have just a competitive moat which is widening.

SYDELL: And the moat could get bigger. Netflix signed deals with Shonda Rhimes, creator of hit shows such as "Grey's Anatomy⁶" and "Scandal," and Ryan Murphy, the producer behind "Glee." Plus Netflix has expanded to 190 countries. It allowed Netflix to create a global hit.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "DARK")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character, speaking German).

SYDELL: "Dark," a sci-fi horror drama, was produced in Germany. Netflix says there's another season coming. This year, Netflix also won its first Academy Award for the documentary, "Icarus," about doping among cyclists. Sid Ganis, a film producer and the former president of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, says Netflix has established itself as a place for high-quality content.

SID GANIS: You go out there and pitch Netflix, you better have something good. Or, very often, they pass. I have my own personal experience with Netflix's passing.

SYDELL: And while a lot of people see a big wide horizon for Netflix, Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, has always been a skeptic⁷. Pachter points out that even one of its biggest hits, "House Of Cards," is licensed⁸, he says so far Netflix has produced very little of its own original content.

MICHAEL PACHTER: And we think you've never heard of any of them, except "Stranger Things." You've never heard of "Flaked," and if you've heard of "The Ranch," it's only because Danny Masterson has been accused of rape⁹.

SYDELL: And Pachter sees a cloud over Netflix. Disney is going to pull its content from the site and create its own streaming service. And Disney is buying 21st Century Fox's film and TV assets.

PACHTER: Disney singlehandedly can stick a dagger¹⁰ in Netflix's heart next year. Let's see what they do.

SYDELL: And while Netflix has been slowly building respect in Hollywood and around the world, Disney and Fox have a long track record of creating globally popular TV series and films. Laura Sydell, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

4 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

7 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？

8 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

9 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

10 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。