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The pilot episode of a new television series can send it rocketing toward ratings success, renewal, and eventual syndication, or plummeting toward cancellation. But in the world of Internet TV, says Netflix , "don't expect overnight results." That's the message the company sent yesterday while announcing its quarterly financial results. On Monday, the company released its first-quarter financial earnings, and beyond the immediate results (26 million global streaming users, $870 million in revenue, a $0.08 loss per share), Netflix spent time qualifying the benefits of its original programming efforts

At the end of the month, Netflix subscribers will no longer be able to stream Starz content--one of the largest providers of movies and TV shows. Netflix puts on a happy face: "We are confident we can take the money we had earmarked for Starz's renewal . . .

Acquired by Netflix CEO in 2010, the educational software company plans to introduce new products with the infusion of cash.

At today's Facebook F8 developer conference, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings joined Mark Zuckerberg on stage for a surprise announcement: Netflix will finally be integrating social sharing with Facebook. That is, if a bill that sitting in Congress is ever able to pass on the House floor.

If there's one movie that should top the queue for Netflix CEO Reed Hastings today, it's

A few short months ago, Netflix made the bold decision to increase the price for its DVD-by-mail and streaming subscription plan by 60% . The announcement inevitably inspired universal vitriol among customers, but Netflix stuck to its guns, saying in a recent earnings call that the negative reaction hadn't been as bad as the company anticipated. Now, however, only a short while since the price plans went into effect, Netflix is singing a much different tune: Mea culpa! Last week the company adjusted its guidance because of worse-than-expected subscriber declines (estimating a loss of 800,000 DVD-by-mail customers and 200,000 streaming customers); its stock price took a huge tumble of 19% (down 44% overall since the price plans were announced); and on Sunday night, CEO Reed Hastings took to Netflix's blog to apologize and offer a slew of (dramatic) solutions.

The numbers for Netflix's second quarter are in, and despite recent criticism, the company's not too far from hitting its mark. Subscriptions are up by 1.8 million, to more than 25 million global subscribers, an increase of 70% year-over-year, while global revenue hit $789 million, a 52% uptick from the same quarter last year--though slightly less than the $791 million analysts had expected

Netflix will expand its streaming service to 43 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the company announced Monday, its largest international expansion so far. On word of the news, Netflix's share price shot up to $283, hitting a 52-week high. The move is yet another part of Netflix's plan to bring its online subscription service beyond the U.S

At the AllThingsD conference Wednedsay, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings expressed lots of love for the high-end content produced by premium cable stars HBO and Showtime.

In what would position Netflix as an even bigger threat to the major cable players, the company might soon offer original programming, according to Deadline Hollywood . The streaming TV and movie powerhouse has reportedly outbid networks from HBO to AMC for the rights to the David Fincher and Kevin Spacey series House of Cards. Nellie Andreeva calls it "probably the biggest gamble" in the company's history, and reports that while negotiations are still ongoing, Netflix has offered to commit to two seasons of the drama series in a deal that could be worth more than $100 million.