5.2-million more people are now subscribed to Netflix worldwide, but that number has fallen well short of the company's forecast. It's the first time Netflix has missed its user growth forecasts since Q1 2017. In Q2 2018 the streaming giant added just 670 000 US based subscribers -- less than its prediction of 1.2-million. "We had a strong but not stellar Q2, ending with 130-million memberships. Membership growth was 5.2-million, the same as Q2 last year, but lower than our 6.2-million forecast," the company writes in its investor letter. In Q1 2018, the company added 7.4-million subscribers, beating its predictions by a million...
Netflix's Smart Downloads is now available on Android, and it may save you from forgetting to download your favourite shows. Smart Downloads is pretty simple in concept. "Now, when you finish watching a downloaded episode, Smart Downloads will delete it, and then automatically download the next episode. You watch, We do the work," the company sassily explains. "We know how annoying it can be to go through all your apps and delete files you no longer need; we also understand that when it comes to Netflix, the faster you can get to the next episode you want to watch, the better." Users can...
South Africans love sport, don't they? And now that the World Cup is entering its pivotal semi-final stage, more users than ever are tuning in to see a ball (and Neymar) roll around a field. DStv has noted this trend, reportedly seeing a 60% increase in weekday usage of its DStv Now mobile streaming app since the World Cup began. Notably, there are five times more people using the app this June than in June 2017. "The absolute peak in concurrent usage for one event was reached on 26 June, during the Nigeria vs Argentina game," the company adds in a...
While loadshedding has caused many South Africans to miss World Cup games this year, Australian fans aren't having it much better. Australia's World Cup coverage is reportedly so bad that the country's prime minister himself logged a complaint with the exclusive broadcaster's CEO on Monday. Judging by chatter on Twitter, telecoms firm Optus has been facing streaming issues including timeouts, long buffer times, and dead connections since the tournament began last week. And fans took to Twitter to voice their annoyance. This is the third day in a row! We are sick of the apologies and guarantees, you need to give the...
Finding something to watch on Netflix is the most difficult thing any human has ever done. Ever. But a new addition coming to the iOS app could solve this crisis once and for all. The streaming service is today adding Instagram Stories-like "mobile previews" to its iOS app. "Mobile previews present members with a fun, simple, and easy way to learn about all the new content on Netflix -- and find something great to watch even faster," explains Cameron Johnson, Netflix's director of product innovation. Inspired by Netflix's own video previews on televisions, the mobile previews will each be around 30 seconds...
One month after Scandinavian streaming service Spotify launched in South Africa, we now have an idea of what locals love listening to. According to company statisticians, Drake is the most streamed international artist in South Africa between 13 March and 10 April 2018 and also owns the most streamed track: "God's Plan". XXXTENTACION comes in second, while Post Malone ranks third. Notably, Marshmello (fifth, behind Kendrick Lamar) is the only EDM artist on the list, while all others are predominantly R&B or hip-hop artists. Oh, and Ed Sheeran props up the table. But popularity varies per city too. While Capetonians loved Nigerian...
South African comedy Catching Feelings debuted in cinemas last month, and it did fairly well for a local film at the box office. But for those who don't enjoy cinemas, you can soon watch the flick on your own television. Netflix South Africa today announced that the flick, directed by Kagiso Lediga (Wonder Boy for President) and stars Pearl Thusi, is heading to the streaming service. It's the first SA film to feature on Netflix too. "Catching Feelings is a dark romantic comedy drama which "follows a jaded academic and his journalist wife, who have their lives turned upside down when a celebrated...
Disney may be planning its own streaming service for 2019, but for now, Netflix still stocks some of the company's content. Today, it announced that 12 new Disney shows -- for kids and adults -- are now available to stream in South Africa. A few highlights include Phineas and Ferb's first four seasons, Gravity Falls' seasons one and two, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars' first two seasons as well. In addition, kids can annoy their parents with Sofia The First's second and third seasons, and Doc McStuffins' first three seasons. (Because, as we sit at our desks watching that clock...
Just days ahead of its IPO, Swedish music streaming company Spotify has published its first ever guidance document for prospective investors and anyone who just wants to understand the company's self-image. The IPO, or initial public offering, will be the first time Spotify's shares will be available for public purchase. And if you need a specific date, pen that particular milestone for 3 April 2018. For you number lovers out there however, here's how many users the company believes will join its service this year. Spotify forecasts modest user growth for the first three months of 2018's financial year (Q1 2018). It...
Spotify is reportedly testing a voice-command and search system for those who prefer talking to their devices. Just a small subset of users have received the update, the company told TechCrunch, but it has massive implications. For users, it means telling the streaming service to "Play my Daily Mix 1" or "Show Drake". The service will then oblige, by either selecting and playing said playlist, or producing the artist page for Drake. (It won't however show him playing Fornite, you'll need another app for that.) For Spotify, this lends further credence to the company's audio assistant ambitions. While the limitations of a screen...
The streaming music world's worst kept secret is finally confirmed to be true: Spotify will today launch in South Africa, the company's representatives confirmed in an email to Memeburn. The news comes after numerous taunts and hints, including a rumoured Vodacom partnership in 2014, an oh-so-revealing job posting last year, and an invitations to a media event in Johannesburg last week. South Africa will be the Swedish music streaming service's first foray into Africa, as it looks to bolster its 160-million user base. But gaining users may not be so easy. The South African streaming market is congested, with the likes of...
Former US President Barack Obama is reportedly in talks with Netflix over a show production deal which could see one of the most influential figures on social media make his production bow on streaming media. According to the New York Times exclusive, "Netflix would pay Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, for exclusive content that would be available only on the streaming service." No one's quite sure what format these show(s) will take yet -- whether it'll be something akin to Keeping Up With The Obamas, or simply a documentary series about the Obama Administration and his Obama family during this...
It's the season of love, and for some that means flowers and chocolates and romantic declarations. For others it means avoiding the shops at all costs. If you're sitting in the latter, then you're probably planning on staying home alone Wednesday night to avoid the amorous couples flaunting their togetherness. Question love, loneliness, and life on Netflix this Valentine's Day There's no shame in staying in, and to make your night even simpler I've compiled a list of films on Netflix South Africa you may want to check out to keep your mind off Valentine's day. Here they are. Unfaithful Unfaithful is a film for those looking...
After an exhausting week filled with long days and short showers, I fell into my couch, ready to glue my eyes to any TV show mindless enough to put my brain on standby. Netflix quickly proffered its latest tribute: Queer Eye, the rebooted makeover show about a group of five gay men eager to turn other men's lives around. In it, I found much more than easy entertainment. Queer Eye is filled with love and good intentions. It's so soothing, in fact, it feels like a rejuvenating face mask for the soul -- in that it probably won't do as much it...
A lot of people like to make kooky jokes about how their country is "weird", and that "only people here like to do this slightly strange thing that isn't actually abnormal". But last year, South Africans on Netflix really tried their best. Of the shows released in 2017, the nation's viewers picked out the oddest collection of series to binge, from religious dramas to teen mockumentaries to mysterious sci-fis. Top of the list of shows South Africans binged last year was the Mexican political thriller Ingobernable. Behind it was Oprah's Greenleaf, a show about the family who own a Memphis megachurch, and in third was dick-obsessed mockumentary American Vandal. Here's...
Memeburn focuses on everything digital in the emerging markets sphere. More about us here
