VENTURE CAPITAL POST

U.S. stocks ended marginally lower on Thursday as lingering worries about upcoming corporate earnings reports offset enthusiasm about a trio of soaring Wall Street debuts.

Video streaming pioneer Netflix Inc added more subscribers in the first quarter than it had projected, helped by aggressive expansion in overseas markets.

Netflix Inc is seeking to increase its share authorization by nearly 30 times, the video streaming service said in a filing with regulators.

Apple Inc's planned video streaming service may not be a tough sell for media companies who could be enticed by the company's ubiquitous iPhones and iPads, which represent a new stream of growth for an industry losing viewers.

Google Inc's decision to screen Sony Pictures' film "The Interview" may help legitimize its YouTube platform as a serious rival to paid video streaming services, Netflix and Amazon.com Inc.

Australia's Hoyts Group said on Tuesday it has been sold by its private equity owner Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) to an investment vehicle set up by Chinese entrepreneur Sun Xishuang.

For good stock market bets, some top investors can't be too bothered by details like corporate profits: instead, they pick companies run by their founders.

Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) once fairy-tale ride on Wall Street has hit its most jarring bump yet. The company that for years enthralled investors with improbable growth and earned one of the technology sector's highest valuations drew widespread ire after a spectacular results letdown on Thursday.

Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, is buying Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) shares because he considers the video streaming company to be an acquisition target.

Netflix Inc signed up fewer video streaming subscribers than forecast for the quarter that ended in September as its U.S. growth slowed markedly, sending its shares plunging as much as 27 percent.

Redbox Instant, a streaming video service operated by Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) and Outerwall Inc's (OUTR.O) Redbox, will shut down next week because the venture has not been as successful as hoped, the two companies announced Saturday.

Japan's Sony Corp is hammering out plans to rise from the ashes of nearly $10 billion lost in six years by building a future around its last consumer electronics blockbuster - the PlayStation.

Netflix Inc said on Monday its quarterly profit more than doubled, boosted by strong growth in U.S. and international subscribers as a price increase for its most popular U.S. video streaming plan did not deter new users.

Microsoft reportedly will consider removing the monthly paid subscription of Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners to access apps like Netflix and Hulu for free.

Venture capital firms in the US have raised a record-breaking total funding amounting to $8.9 billion in the first quarter of 2014, according to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association.