Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne said his firm's annual streaming video survey showed that Netflix (NFLX) remains the most widely used service, with 48% of respondents identifying themselves as users. Of interest, 50% of Netflix users also use Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video, 64% of Prime members use Netflix and 81% of Hulu users said they use Netflix, all of which are up from the prior survey. Also, 37% of respondents expressed some level of interest in subscribing to Disney+ (DIS) at $8/month, which is higher than the price point the company announced, and 60% of respondents who reported having children expressed some level of interest, noted Swinburne. Hulu is a joint venture of Disney and Comcast (CMCSA).

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Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "We have built a hard to replicate combination of a strong slate, superior recommendations, broad reach and intense fandom, which drives healthy engagement on Netflix. Improvement in these key areas is the best way to delight our members and continue to grow our business." The company added: "Net cash generated by operating activities in Q1 was $2.2B and free cash flow totaled $2.1B (both flat with Q1'23). During the quarter, we paid down $400M of senior notes with cash on hand and we repurchased 3.6M shares for $2B. We finished the quarter with gross debt of $14B and cash and cash equivalents of $7B. We're still forecasting full year 2024 free cash flow of approximately $6B, assuming no material swings in F/X, and cash content spend of up to $17B."

Pre-earnings options volume in Netflix is 1.1x normal with calls leading puts 5:4. Implied volatility suggests the market is anticipating a move near 7.3%, or $44.89, after results are released. Median move over the past eight quarters is 9.6%.

Sales of video games in Bethesda's "Fallout" series have surged across Europe, with 2015's "Fallout 4" reclaiming the top spot, Gamesindustry.biz's Christopher Dring reports. Sales of "Fallout 4" jumped 7,500% week-on-week across Europe, due to some heavy discounting on games in the "Fallout" franchise across all platforms designed to tie-in with Amazon Prime's (AMZN) "Fallout" television series, Dring says, citing GSD data. 2018's "Fallout 76," 2010's "Fallout: New Vegas," and 2008's "Fallout 3" rounded out Europe's weekly top ten as well, Dring says. The Fly notes that Microsoft (MSFT) acquired Bethesda in 2021. Reference Link

Netflix (NFLX) is scheduled to report its first quarter 2024 financial results and business outlook on Thursday, April 18. A video interview... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Morgan Stanley named Comcast as the firm's "Top Pick in the Cable & Satellite" industry and notes that it remains the firm's only Overweight-rated name in the sector. Shares are now down 10% year-to-date despite a stable earnings outlook, says the analyst, who remains confident Comcast can grow broadband ARPU consistent with its historical 3%-4% range in 2024 and beyond. Moderating losses at Peacock and the opening of its new theme park Epic Universe in 2025 should also contribute to consolidated EBITDA growth, the analyst tells investors.

Big River Services International sells around $1M a year in goods in e-commerce marketplaces and is an arm of Amazon that gathers intelligence on the company's competitors, Dana Mattioli and Sarah Nassauer of The Wall Street Journal reports. Big River uses its sales across multiple countries to gather pricing data, logistics, and other details about rival marketplaces, people familiar with the matter told the Journal. Reference Link