世.界.之•窗-擴張世界版圖後 Netflix的下一步是...?

工商時報【Nikki Lu】 閱讀暖身Netflix上周公布第2季財報,營收和訂戶數超出預期,總訂戶數已突破1億人,這也是Netflix首次海外訂戶人數超越美國本土訂戶,值得關注。進入本文前,請先想想以下單字英文怎麼說:A.高漲 B.使一致 C.補足 US-based streaming service Netflix signed up 5.2 million new members in its second quarter, beating its own estimates and boosting total subscribers to 104 million. Subscribers growth and increased operating revenue-$2.79 billion, while it was $2.11 billion during the same period last year-sent Netflix's stock (A)soaring to an (1)all-time high. The share price climbed almost 10% to $180 a share in after-hours trading last Monday . 美國影音串流服務公司Netflix今年度第2季新增520萬訂戶,遠高於預估,總訂戶也達到1億4百萬。訂戶成長與營收增加至27.9億美元(去年同期營收為21.1億美元),使Netflix股票創新高,上周一盤後交易達每股180美元,股價爬升近百分之十。 "Most of the growth ─ more than 4 million of the new users ─ came from international subscribers lured by Netflix's combination of new shows such as The Crown and Stranger Things, while stalwarts House of Cards and Orange is the New Black are continuing to find new audiences."──The Guardian 「主要的成長,即超過400萬的新用戶,來自海外訂戶。他們受到Netflix新影集如《王冠》和《怪奇物語》的吸引,而台柱影集《紙牌屋》、《女子監獄》也持續吸引新觀眾。」英國衛報報導。 Keys to Growth: Asia and Mobile Asia is the next frontier. Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos: "…matching the programming into local taste is really the key. ... And as we look to Asia, we have to get better and better at matching those tastes. And those tastes are not as easily (B)aligned with Western tastes. So we'll invest more time and energy in Asia, putting some people on the ground in Asia that we haven't historically." 成長關鍵:亞洲與行動 亞洲是Netflix要拓展的疆界。首席內容長Ted Sarandos說:「符合當地口味的節目是關鍵。…著眼亞洲市場,我們必須越來越能夠掌握當地觀眾的口味,它們和西方口味並不一致,因此我們會投資更多時間精力,並在亞洲安排人力,這是過去我們尚未進行的事。」 "Netflix has positioned itself to thrive in a mobile-first environment by investing in its mobile interface. The company also continues to work on encoding technology, so that streaming uses less bandwidth. These efforts raise costs in the short run, but they are critical in (2)paving the way for Netflix's long-term growth."-The Motley Fool 「Netflix的定位是投資行動介面,在行動優先的環境蓬勃發展。它也持續發展編碼技術,以減少串流使用的頻寬。這些努力短期內會提高成本,但為長期成長做這樣的準備,是有必要的。」The Motley Fool報導。 The Challenge According to Fast Company, "this year Netflix is plowing $6 billion into content. The only company spending more is ESPN, which is allocating $7 billion to programming. In addition to TV shows, Netflix is going (3)full throttle on the feature-film side. …In its earnings report Monday, Netflix said it had a negative free cash flow of over $600 million for the second quarter. And that number could balloon to $2.5 billion for the year 2017, according to the company." Netflix的挑戰 Fast Company報導:「今年Netflix在內容產製的花費將達60億,僅次於ESPN的70億。除了電視影集節目,Netflix也全力發展劇情片。」 「周一(7月17日)的收益報告中,Netflix表示第2季度自由現金流虧損超過6億美元,並且預期2017年將達負25億美元。」 Asides from rivals like Amazon and Hulu, new players such as Facebook and Apple are ramping up their original programming attempt. However, Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix, doesn't seem to worry: "It seems our growth just expands the market. The largely exclusive nature of each service's content means that we are not direct substitutes for each other, but rather (C)complements." 另一方面,除了Amazon與Hulu等線上串流服務對手,Facebook與Apple也加入原創節目戰局。不過,Netflix創辦人Reed Hstings似乎並不擔心:「看來我們的成長擴大了市場。各家的內容都極為獨有,也因此我們不會互相取代,而是互補。」 資料來源:Netflix, The Guardian, Fast Company, The Motley Fool 喔,原來這樣講才對! 「學英文也可以是一場震撼教育。」一個外商公司的總經理到世界公民上完第一次課以後這樣說。 這種震撼是因為以前講錯太多英文,自己完全不知道,已經錯了十幾年。 除掉英文裡的錯,就像擦掉眼鏡上的霧水。邀請您體驗一次英文的震撼教育,請上網www.core-corner.com登記,(臺北)02-27215033、(新竹)03-5782199。