More and more viewers are opting to ditch their traditional television packages for streaming sites, and Netflix is far ahead of its peers when it comes to making high-quality original shows and movies. 

The Convergence Research Group released a report in April estimating that nearly 25% of the US population won't have a traditional TV subscription by the end of 2017.

This leaves an opening for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. And they are going for it.

These three have generated a lot of buzz with their critically acclaimed original series like "Stranger Things" (Netflix), "Transparent" (Amazon), and "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu) — all of which have been nominated for Emmys.

But which service has the best shows?

Startup LendEDU recently commissioned a poll of 820 millennials to see which streaming site they considered to have the best original content.

Netflix won by a landslide.

79% percent of those polled said they preferred Netflix's original content. "Premium channels," such as HBO or Showtime, came in at 14%, while Amazon and Hulu got just 3% and 4% respectively.

You can see the poll results here:

One likely reason Netflix is so far ahead is that its programming budget is gargantuan. Netflix will spend $7 billion on programming next year (and $6 billion in 2017).

And original content is key.

Netflix's CFO, David Wells, announced last year that Netflix is pushing to make 50% of its offering original content over the next couple of years, according to Variety. Why? Earlier this year, Netflix's content boss said originals were roughly as efficient per dollar as licensed programming, in addition to burnishing Netflix's brand name. And with companies like Disney rethinking their relationships to Netflix, the scale could continue to tip further toward originals.

The big question will be whether competitors like Amazon, which JPMorgan estimated will spend about $4.5 billion on video this year, will catch up in the eyes of viewers — especially millennials.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's content chief said something about its 'originals' that should make investors optimistic about the future

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

Over the last 31 years, Burning Man has evolved from a bonfire among friends in San Francisco to an international mega-event attended by modern-day hippies and tech moguls alike.

Nearly 70,000 so-called burners descended on the "playa" in a Nevada desert last week for the annual counterculture gathering. The festival is offering its standard fare of surreal art installations, over 130 musical acts, celebrity sightings, and out-of-this-world fashion.

Some say you have to experience the world of Burning Man to understand its magic. In the meantime, these photos of Burning Man 2017 offer a glimpse of what it's like to attend.

SEE ALSO: Photos of tech workers having the time of their lives at Burning Man

Each year, a city rises on a remote swath of desert in Nevada. Burners call this temporary metropolis "Black Rock City."

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The festival forms in the same shape every year: a giant semi-circle.

Nearly 70,000 people, known as "burners," come for the nine-day event.

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25-year-old supermodel Karlie Kloss began learning how to code in 2014. Since then, one of her main missions has been to help educate young women who are interested in the world of technology.

In 2016, she started the charity organization Kode With Klossy, a coding camp and career scholarship program that works with partners like the Flatiron School to facilitate learning programs and create a community for young women in tech.

Last month, Kode With Klossy opened its first office in New York City with the help of Homepolish designer Tina Rich, who decked it out with furniture from Lulu & Georgia.

Kloss told Architectural Digest of the new space: "Since I'll be hosting my team, business partners, friends, and family in the office, it was important for the space to feel comfortable and chic, and flow from room to room."

Take a look, below.

SEE ALSO: This CEO runs a startup that helps people design their dream home — see the beautiful space where she lives

Rich, who worked closely with Kloss to design the space, told Business Insider that the model's personal style helped influence the final result. "Karlie has such great style and taste and I think we created a space that is a true reflection of that. The space turned out sophisticated but still colorful and fun, which is how I came to know Karlie," she said.

Art was sourced from Uprise Art.

Learn more about Uprise Art.

Kloss had said that she wanted the office, located in New York's Soho neighborhood, to feel homey.

Netflix original shows usually come with high praise.

The tech giant's venture into original material in 2013 with "House of Cards" was an impressive introduction, and since then, several shows have been critical favorites, including "Master of None," "Jessica Jones," and "Glow."

"The Crown" and "Stranger Things" also got some major Emmy nominations this year. 

But the more shows Netflix makes, the more flops it hs. It's only natural that not every Netflix original show is good according to critics (and fans).

Since we don't want you to waste your valuable free time binge-watching a bad show, we asked reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to tell us which Netflix shows have the lowest ratings.

Here are the worst Netflix shows according to critics. 

SEE ALSO: The top 36 TV shows you should watch this fall

11. "Haters Back Off!" — 47%

Critic score: 47%

Audience score: 67%

Netflix description: A comedy that zeros in on an untalented yet rising star and her oddball family.

10. "Flaked" — 42%

Critic score: 42%

Audience score: 84%

Netflix description: A self-appointed ''guru'' named Chip falls for the object of his best friend's desire.

9. "Hemlock Grove" — 38%

Critic score: 38%

Audience score: 70%

Netflix description: A supernatural series about the goings-on in a Pennsylvania steel town, where two suspects in a young girl's murder set out to find the killer themselves.

The music-identification app Shazam has revealed a list of the songs that people asked its service to identify the most this summer. 

Globally, the most Shazamed song of the season was Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," which was also the most-streamed song of the summer, according to Spotify. In July, "Despacito" was named the most-streamed song of all time.

Other appearances on Shazam's list include DJ Khaled's Rihanna-led track "Wild Thoughts" and Calvin Harris' "Feels," featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean.

In a statement, Shazam's global head of content Julian Marshall said "summer 2017 will be remembered for the worldwide impact of Latin songs": 

"'Despacito' was already doing well on Shazam when Justin Bieber jumped on the remix - bringing it to a whole new audience. The track sat at the top of our Worldwide Chart for thirteen weeks. J Balvin & Willy William had a Worldwide #1 over the summer too. 'Mi Gente' grew to become one of the other defining songs of the summer and has now been at the top of our charts for more than a month."

These were the top 10 most Shazamed songs in the world this summer:

1. Luis Fonsi Feat. Daddy Yankee - "Despacito"
2. Charlie Puth - "Attention"
3. Calvin Harris Feat. Pharrell Williams & Katy Perry & Big Sean - "Feels"
4. J Balvin & Willy William - "Mi Gente"
5. DJ Khaled Feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller - "Wild Thoughts"
6. Harry Styles - "Sign Of The Times"
7. Shawn Mendes - "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back"
8. Imagine Dragons - "Thunder"
9. French Montana Feat. Swae Lee - "Unforgettable"
10. Jonas Blue Feat. William Singe - "Mama"

SEE ALSO: 'Despacito' is the song of the summer, according to Spotify — here are the others that were close

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here’s what it’s like to ride on one of the oldest roller coaster rides in America

Want to stay up to date with this year's IGNITION conference and all things media? Subscribe here to receive our free weekly IGNITION newsletter.

Business Insider is proud to announce that Robert Bakish will speak at IGNITION 2017: The Future of Media.

As the president and CEO of Viacom, Bakish is tasked with growing the conglomerate's leading brands including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon along with the Paramount Pictures film and TV studio.

Before being promoted to this role, Bakish thrived as the president and CEO of VIMN, the international arm of Viacom. During this time, he succeeded in expanding Viacom's international footprint by focusing on high-growth markets such as India, where he launched the entertainment channel Colors through the Viacom18 joint venture with Reliance Industries.

Bakish was also integral in bolstering Viacom's digital presence. By launching multiplatform products like My Nick Jr., My MTV, and Viacom Play Pex, Viacom has eclipsed 16 million downloads and 500 million digital streams to date, according to the company.

Bakish joins 21st Century Fox executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch, HBO CEO Richard Plepler, and Verizon executive Marni Walden as speakers at this year's IGNITION conference. We will continue to announce new speakers throughout the summer, so continue to check in to see who else will be attending.

Attend IGNITION 2017: The Future of Media

Business Insider IGNITION 2017 will take place November 29-30 at the Time Warner Center in New York City. Don't miss out on an opportunity lock in your discounted Early-Bird or group rates to hear from the most influential people in media!

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NOW WATCH: Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam explains why he bought AOL

I can't stop playing "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle." Could any endorsement be stronger?

Allow me to be up front about another major aspect of "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle": It's outrageously stupid. And it takes that stupidity very seriously.

That's a good thing, to be clear. More than just a surprise, "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" is a genuinely excellent game that's sure to be the start of an entirely new franchise. It's also entirely different from what you might expect from a game starring the Mario crew.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo just announced 20 new games for the Switch — here's the full list

How did the Rabbids end up in a Mario game? It's complicated.

The conceit, plot-wise, of "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" is that the infamous Rabbids — Ubisoft's kid-friendly, maniacal rabbit characters — have invaded the Mushroom Kingdom by accident. Worse: One of the Rabbids has a futuristic headset on (seen above) that combines objects, and in the transfer from wherever the Rabbids come from to the Mushroom Kingdom, that headset was corrupted.

Thus, everything the headset sees (which is being blindly, accidentally fired by said Rabbid) is being turned into an enemy that Mario and his pals must defeat. Here's the dastardly Rabbid in question:

He looks confused and scared because he is exactly that. He just wanted to play with a toy, and now he's an accidental villain.

"Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" is not a typical Mario game. You don't leap from platform to platform, or stomp Goombas. Instead, Mario has a gun. Really.

In fact, everyone has a gun "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle." Luigi's a sniper! Who would've thought? That's because the main thing you're doing in the game is facing off against armed enemies in "turn-based" battles.

It looks like nothing you've seen before in a Mario game:

There's a lot going on in this image, I realize. Bear with me.

The first thing you need to know is that this is a battle screen, and this is the main thing you do in "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" (as the name implies). It's a "turn-based" strategy game, meaning you and your teammates have a chance to move around a battlefield, line up shots, and otherwise strategize before turning over control to the enemy. Whoever survives the battle wins.

Each member of your team can perform three actions during their turn: move, shoot, and one special move. In the image above, you can see Mario in the lower right, crouching behind cover; Rabbid Peach is on one side of a block, and Luigi is on the other. Each of them has health ratings (211 for Peach, for instance), and you can see that her "Rainbow Runner" weapon is selected. There don't appear to be any enemies in sight. Not yet, anyway.

The battle system in "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" is outrageously clever.

Above all, "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" is a strategy game. If you're a fan of the "XCOM" series, you'll be right at home here.

Battlefields are on a grid system — each of the squares on the floor in the image above are considered one space. During your turn on the battlefield, each of your team members can move a certain number of spaces. You can multiply that by chaining movement between team members — if you move Luigi, for instance, onto a space occupied by Mario, Mario will offer a jump assist to Luigi that enables him to move further than he otherwise could. In this way, you can also reach higher ground — which is often strategically crucial, just like in real battle.

This becomes more complex and intense as the game goes on, forcing you to think through every move carefully. In a very Mario-esque way, "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" builds on simple systems over time to create a complex overall system that requires mastery. 

This week, Frank Ocean and U2 released new singles, and LCD Soundsystem dropped its first album in seven years. 

Here are the 5 best songs from the past week that you can stream right now:

Frank Ocean — "Provider"

Frank Ocean's seventh edition of his Apple Music show "Blonded Radio" concluded on Sunday with a new single, "Provider." The laid-back, pitch-shifted track finds Ocean contemplating relationships, fame, and fatherhood in his customary mode of offbeat lyricism. 

The National — "Day I Die"

On The National's latest impressive single, singer Matt Berninger ruminates with dark humor about love and mortality. "Young mothers love me / Even ghosts of girlfriends call from Cleveland /They will meet me anytime and anywhere," he sings.

LCD Soundsystem — "oh baby"

Back from a seven-year-long "retirement," James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem has finally released its fourth studio album, "American Dream." The Roy Orbison-like melody and steadily building synths of "oh baby" make for a compelling intro track and highlight. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the "Game of Thrones" season seven finale, "The Dragon and the Wolf," and potential spoilers for season eight of "Game of Thrones."

The latest season of "Game of Thrones" was rife with satisfaction for fans. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen finally met. The White Walkers finally made it to The Wall, and then broke through with a zombie dragon. Most importantly of all, the framework was set in place for the inevitable battle between the living and the White Walkers.

But even with all that closure, one huge wrinkle remains: Queen Cersei is pregnant with her fourth child from her twin brother, Jaime. Yet, as long-time fans of the series know, Cersei is very unlikely to ever give birth to another child.

According to a mostly accurate, leaked outline of season seven, the latest season of "Game of Thrones" intended to tie off that loose thread as well. 

Warning once again: Potential spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season eight.

In a Reddit leak from October 2016 that's mostly proved accurate, a crucial scene involving Cersei would've solved the issue of the potential fourth child with Jaime. The original leak poster has since deleted their account, so Redditor "maureencreates" compiled them all right here.

Here's the synopsis of the scene involving Cersei that never appeared in season seven:

"Cersei awakens in a bed soaked with blood. The general consensus is that she miscarries."

Given the nature of the leak as an outline, it's possible that such a major plot point would've come with more of an explanation.

So, what happened? Why didn't this crucial scene show up in season seven? The idea might've been scrapped in favor of another solution further down the road. Or it might've been filmed and saved for the final season of "Game of Thrones." Or something entirely different! It's hard to know. 

We do know one thing: It's extremely unlikely that Cersei's going to give birth to a fourth child.

There's a simple reason for this, and it lies in a scene from season five. 

On the first episode of season five of "Game of Thrones," fans were treated to a flashback of Cersei as a teenager visiting fortune teller Maggy the Frog. Though Cersei's hoping for good news about her future as Queen of Westeros, Maggy has a far more macabre tale to spin.

Here's how that conversation goes:

Cersei: I'm promised to the prince. When will we marry?
Maggy: Never. You will wed the king.
Cersei: But I will be queen?
Maggy: Oh yes. You will be queen, for a time... until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all that you hold dear.

Though vague, fans can line up how that all plays out. Rather than marrying the prince she was promised to (Rhaegar Targaryen), she ended up marrying the man who became king following "Robert's Rebellion," Robert Baratheon. Of course, as we know now, "Robert's Rebellion" was born out of a lie — that Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped Lyanna Stark (Ned Stark's sister), when in fact Lyanna and Rhaegar were in love (and even secretly married). 

But that wasn't all that Maggy the Frog told Cersei as a teenager. Cersei asked a follow-up question: "Will the king and I have children?"

Maggy responds with something more specific, but far darker: “The king will have twenty, you will have three. Gold will be their crowns, and gold their shrouds." She then bursts into maniacal laughter.

Thus far, what Maggy said all those seasons ago has come true. Cersei didn't end up marrying Rhaegar; instead, she married Robert Baratheon. She had three kids, none of whom were fathered by her husband — they were fathered by her twin brother Jaime — and they've all died. 

All of which is to say one thing: It's very unlikely that Cersei's going to give birth to a fourth child. It remains to be seen how "Game of Thrones" will handle that issue on the show, but the leak from 2016 gives us some idea of what could be in the works. 

It looks like we'll have a long time to wait to find out, as "Game of Thrones" season eight — the final season — isn't arriving for quite some time.

SEE ALSO: 31 important questions the 'Game of Thrones' season 7 finale left unanswered

DON'T MISS: The 'Game of Thrones' season 5 premiere hinted at a huge fan theory

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 6 details you might have missed on the season 7 finale of 'Game of Thrones'

Roku has made official what's been rumored: It wants to go public. 

The digital media player maker publicly filed its S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday — the first big step for a company seeking an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares.

The company plans to list shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker "ROKU."

Nominally, according to the filing, the company seeks to raise as much as $100 million through the stock sale, though that number is just a placeholder and will likely change as the date of the IPO draws closer.

It is expected to seek a valuation of $1 billion, according to a previous report from The Wall Street Journal.

Roku intends to set up a dual-class stock structure, which will give more power to pre-IPO investors than new ones. That will make it easier for current shareholders, including its CEO, to retain control after the public offering. Existing investors will get a new class of stock that will give them 10 votes for every share they own. By contrast, shares sold in the public offering will give investors who own them one vote per share.

This model has been increasingly common as tech companies go public. Google and Facebook both have similar stock structures. But the practice has been controversial, because it can insulate founders and other insiders from legitimate shareholder concerns.

Roku sells boxes that allow consumers to stream Netflix, YouTube and other streaming video services to their televisions. It also offers its software to other consumers electronics makers that want to use it as the interface for their smart TVs. 

Business has been good for Roku. In the first half of 2017, it posted revenue of $199.7 million, up 23% from the same period in 2016, according to the S-1 filing. In fiscal year 2016, it had a total of $398.6 million in revenue, up 25% from 2015.

As of June 30, Roku had 15.1 million active accounts on its service, according to the filing. Customers using Roku devices or TV's with its interface streamed 6.7 billion hours of internet video in the first half of 2017 — up 62% from the same period in 2016, the company said in the filing.  

Currently, most of Roku’s revenue comes from the sale of the streaming devices, but the company plans to increase its number of active users and grow the amount of revenue per user. Each active user is currently worth $11.22 to the company — up from $9.28 in 2016, and $6.48 in 2015.

More active users means more platform revenue, which is a mix of advertising sales, streaming subscriptions, and licensing arrangements. These licensing agreements consist of ;a series of partnerships Roku has made with TV makers, such as Haier and Chinese heavyweight TCL. Roku provides a blueprint that lets TV makers bake Roku’s technology, including its slick operating system, into its smart TVs in return for a licensing fee.

Despite this growth, Roku is still losing money. Since 2002, the company has incurred a total deficit of $244 million. It lost $24.2 million in the first half of 2017.

The Los Gatos, California, company has been rumored to be moving toward an IPO since July, when it hired Morgan Stanley and Citigroup as underwriters. 

Roku was expected to move toward an IPO in 2014, but it never materialized. 

SEE ALSO: Box's stock is sinking after it served up a weak revenue forecast in Q2 earnings report

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NOW WATCH: 6 Google products and services you never even knew existed

The PlayStation 4 is the world's most popular game console — by a mile.

There are many contributing factors to the PS4's dominance, but the biggest and most important reason is the games. Not only does it play most games made available on other rival consoles (like the Xbox One), but it also has an incredible lineup of games that are literally not playable elsewhere.

Many of the games on this list are Sony- or PS4-exclusive, but all of the following games are worth owning if you're one of the 63+ million people that owns a PlayStation 4. Check it out:

SEE ALSO: Every PlayStation 4 game I own — RANKED

The Witness

In "The Witness," you're alone on a colorful, serene island teeming with puzzles. Your job is to solve those puzzles. Some are easy, others will drive you to the brink of insanity — there's no other game like it.

The Last Guardian

"The Last Guardian," like "The Witness," is also about solving puzzles, but it's also about love and friendship, too. Most notable here is the hand-drawn art style — it looks and feels more like a living Studio Ghibli movie than a video game. It's also a PS4 exclusive.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

You will literally never run out of things to do in "The Witcher 3." The number of tasks, missions, and side quests is almost overwhelming — but it really speaks to the immersive level of this open-world fantasy game, which won several Game of the Year awards in 2015.

Warning: Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven. If you aren't caught up with the series, read at your own risk. 

Season seven of "Game of Thrones" was one of the most brutal yet. Some major battles have brought some major deaths, including one that made dying look really, really cool.

Not as many major characters died this season as expected. Those deaths will probably come in the last six episodes of the series.

But there were some roastings, epic betrayals, and wights that ended lives in season seven. 

Here is your guide to who died on "Game of Thrones" so far this season:

SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones:' Who is alive (and dead) in all the major houses

Obara Sand

Time of death: Episode two, "Stormborn."

Cause of death: In his attack on Yara's fleet, Euron Greyjoy stabs the daughter of Oberyn Martell in the gut with a spear. By the end of the battle, her body is hanging from the ship, so she's definitely dead. 

Nymeria Sand

Time of death: Episode two, "Stormborn."

Cause of death: In Euron's attack, he strangles Nymeria, who is a daughter of Oberyn (and not Arya Stark's direwolf, who shares the same name). At the end of the battle, her body is also hanging from the ship.

Tyene Sand

Time of death: Episode three, "The Queen's Justice" (kind of).

Cause of death: Cersei locks Ellaria up in a dungeon with her daughter, Tyene, who she poisons the same way Ellaria poisoned Myrcella: with a kiss and a poison called "The Long Farewell." So Ellaria has to watch her own daughter die a brutal death, and in another sick twist, decompose before her own eyes, and there's nothing she can do about it.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season seven.

Jaime Lannister's journey is one of the most compelling ones on "Game of Thrones," and one of the most frustrating.

He's a complex character. He values honor, but also pushes Bran Stark out of a window in order to keep his affair with his sister Cersei a secret.

As we learn more about Jaime's past, and his motives, he's become more of a hero. So for a long time, it's been "about time" for him to end his toxic relationship with his sister, and fight for the right team.

In the books, Jaime turns on Cersei much sooner than he does in the show. And even for non-book readers, his loyalty to Cersei starts to get a little unbelievable considering what she's done, and what he's been through on the show. 

After his adventures with Brienne of Tarth in season three, fans began to see the potential that Jaime could turn on Cersei. Their time together opens him up to new perspectives, and humanizes him. His connection to Brienne inspires him to reveal why he murdered the Mad King Aerys: he did it to save the entire city of King's Landing from exploding in wildfire. 

In the seasons since, Jaime's decision to stay loyal to his sister no matter what (including murdering hundreds of people with wildfire Mad King style) has not been convincing.

To honor Jaime's brave decision to finally turn his back on his sister in the season finale, "The Dragon and the Wolf," we took a look back at all the times Jaime should have turned on Cersei, but didn't.

SEE ALSO: All the important 'Game of Thrones' deaths, ranked from least tragic to most tragic

When Cersei tortures baby Tyrion.

Cersei has hated Tyrion since he was born, because their mother Joanna died giving birth to him. She would pinch him and twist his flesh until he wailed when he was a baby. In season four, Oberyn Martell tells Tyrion that he saw Cersei do this on a visit to Casterly Rock, and Jaime stopped her.

Does this stop Jaime from turning on Cersei? No. But it was really nice of him to tell her to stop torturing a baby.

When Cersei has Jaime join the Kingsguard so they can be together, thus ruining his life.

Before Robert's Rebellion, Cersei tells Jaime to join the Kingsguard, forfeiting his future inheritance of lands and titles, so he can stay in King's Landing and they can be together. However, their father Tywin resigns as the Mad King's Hand of the King and brings her back to Casterly Rock.

Jaime then murders the Mad King, earning the nickname Kingslayer.

After Robert's Rebellion, his murder of the Mad King is forgiven by King Robert, and he remains on the Kingsguard. Jaime spends majority of his time following his sister's husband around. Robert treats Jaime poorly and flaunts his affairs with other women to torment Jaime.

Does this stop Jaime from turning on Cersei? No. He finds this helpful in some ways, since he and Cersei get to hook up in their free time.

When Cersei has an affair with Lancel Lannister, their cousin.

Cersei sleeps with their cousin Lancel throughout seasons one and two. Lancel does everything she asks him to, including causing the death of King Robert.

In season five, Lancel confesses the affair and the death of Robert to the High Sparrow. Cersei is arrested for her crimes, and has to do the walk of shame to the Red Keep.

Does this stop Jaime from turning on Cersei? Nope. He's heard the rumors, but chooses not to believe them. But we do know that Jaime has never been with another woman.

Roku's first streaming media device was so closely linked to Netflix that it was called the Netflix Player.

Nine years later, the electronics company is still pretty closely linked to the streaming media giant.

Netflix is the most watched service on Roku boxes. About a third of the 6.7 billion hours Roku box owners spent streaming video through their boxes in the first half of this year was spent watching Netflix, Roku said in a regulatory document filed Friday that represented its first step toward a public offering of shares. Netflix accounts for the same proportion of hours watched through Roku boxes in 2016, the electronics company said. 

Roku's contract with Netflix that allows it to stream Netflix videos through its boxes is in its final year, the company warned potential investors. Although Roku expects the contract to be extended or renewed, there's no guarantee.

When consumers sign up for service on Netflix through a Roku box, Roku gets a commission. Revenue from such sales aren't significant for its business, the company said. But given the popularity of Netflix, Roku could see a hit to its box sales if it no longer could offer the service. 

"If we are unable to renew such agreements on a timely basis, we may be required to temporarily or permanently remove certain content from our platform. The loss of such content from our platform for any period of time may harm our business," Roku said in the filing.  

A shared history with Netflix

Although Roku touts the fact that it offers consumers access to thousands of channels through its boxes, a small handful of providers account for the vast majority of video watched on Roku boxes. In the first half of this year, the five most-watched streaming channels available on Roku's boxes — which includes Netflix — accounted for 69% of all the hours spent watching video on the devices. Roku didn't disclose the other channels in its top five, but did say that YouTube is its most watched ad-supported channel. 

"We depend on a small number of content publishers for a majority of our streaming hours, and if we fail to monetize these relationships, directly or indirectly, our business could be harmed," Roku said in its regulatory filing. 

Roku's ties to Netflix run deep. Netflix was an early investor in the company, and the only channel available on Roku's original digital media player was Netflix, thus its name. On the remote control that ships with current Roku players, there's a button that allows users to instantly access Netflix. 

From April 2007 to January 2008, Anthony Wood, Roku's CEO, was the vice president of internet TV at Netflix  — even while serving as Roku's chairman and CEO. Neil Hunt joined Roku's board of directors in August, one month after stepping down as Netflix's chief product officer.

Additionally Roku subleases office space in Los Gatos, California, from Netflix.

Roku is nominally seeking to raise as much as $100 million in its initial public offering.

SEE ALSO: This scrappy company has fended off competition from Apple and Amazon — and now it's heading for an IPO

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Apple's upcoming iPhone OS is taking major steps to protect your privacy — here's how

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Robert Elder, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

• eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
• There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
• The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
• The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
• The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
• Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
• Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
• Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
• Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
• Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
• Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
• Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

• The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
• The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
• eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
• eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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NOW WATCH: 6 details you might have missed on the season 7 finale of 'Game of Thrones'

Warning: Spoilers if you are not up to date with the most recent "Game of Thrones" episodes.

"Game of Thrones" is practically synonymous with violence.

The HBO series is known for its no-holds-barred approach when it comes to its epic fights and battle scenes. 

It's certainly not unusual at this point in the series to see someone's throat slit or head chopped off. And, now that dragons are being utilized as major weapons, armies being charred to bits is becoming a part of the norm.

But not all battles are created equally on "Game of Thrones." The battles have ranged from small and speedy to gargantuan and epic — though none are able to escape a large death toll. 

Here are all of the battles on "Game of Thrones" ranked from least to most gruesome:

SEE ALSO: Every 'Game of Thrones' romantic relationship, ranked from worst to best

16. The Battle of the Green Fork

Tyrion gets knocked unconscious within the first few seconds of this battle, and when he comes to, it's all over.

The audience can only imagine what the battle entailed — but the aftermath did look pretty grizzly. 

15. The Battle of Oxcross

Robb Stark leads House Stark to victory in this triumphant battle against House Lannister.

Just like the Battle of the Green Fork, this battle happens offscreen, so the audience can only guess how brutal the battle was based on the aftermath.

14. Battle of Yunkai

The Battle of Yunkai marks Daenerys' second battle in Slaver's Bay. Daenerys sends Daario Naharis, Ser Jorah Mormont, and Grey Worm into the city of Yunkai to kill the guards, leading the Unsullied army in to siege the city. 

We see the three soldiers slaughter the guards, and the army flood into the city, but not much else.

Ser Jorah returns to Daenerys with the news of their victory, bringing Daenerys one step closer to freeing all of Slaver's Bay. 

While we wait for the Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone movie, let’s celebrate his recent appearance on the small screen.

One of the highlights from season 3 of “Star Wars Rebels” was the “Twin Suns” episode. This self-contained story within the season focuses on Ezra’s journey to Tatooine to track down Ben Kenobi, the reclusive Jedi Master (in the time “Rebels” takes place, he’s no longer called Obi-Wan). But we soon learn Ezra has actually been lured to the desert planet by Darth Maul, who wants a final battle with Kenobi (yes, it turns out Maul did survive after being cut in half by Kenobi in “The Phantom Menace.” More on that here.). 

The episode concludes with a thrilling (albeit, brief) final duel between Kenobi and Maul after the Sith Lord senses that Kenobi is doing more than just hiding from the Empire on Tatooine: he’s watching over someone (that being then-child Luke Skywalker).

But a big highlight is hearing that sweet Alec Guinness voice in the episode.

Guinness, the English actor who originated the character in “Star Wars: A New Hope,” died in 2000, but his legacy has continued on and now entertains new generations of “Star Wars” fans through video games and cartoon series. And the man who has done much of the Guinness voice matching for those performances is Stephen Stanton.

The veteran voice actor is no stranger to “Star Wars.” Along with voicing “Star Wars Rebels” character AP-5 and Admiral Raddus in “Rogue One,” he also voices another legendary character from the saga, Grand Moff Tarkin (voice matching the late Peter Cushing), on “Rebels” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

But his Guinness as Kenobi voice work is what got him his start doing “Star Wars” gigs.

Having always toyed with the Guinness voice since seeing “Star Wars” as a kid, he got a shot to prove his talents in 2004 when he auditioned to voice Kenobi for the video game, “Star Wars: Battlefront II.” He got the job and has since been the go-to guy when Lucasfilm needs to feature Kenobi in one of its projects.

However, unlike the past, where he usually gets a call to brush off his Guinness voice and get to the recording booth, for “Twin Suns” the job came up a bit randomly.

Stanton and the rest of the “Star Wars Rebels” cast were finishing up a recording session in May of last year (it was for the “Double Agent Droid” episode, where his character AP-5 sings at the end) when he and one of the series’ creators Dave Filoni began talking about a recent “Star Wars” video game and Stanton happened to mentioned that he recorded Kenobi for that game.

“Dave said, ‘Oh, that’s right, you do Ben Kenobi,’” Stanton recalled to Business Insider. “He said, ‘Give me a little Ben Kenobi right now.’ So I was in the room with my castmates and my mind went blank, I could not think of a single line. And then I think it was Vanessa Marshall (who voices Hera Syndulla on the show) that said, ‘Do that 'scum and villainy' line.'”

Stanton went into the recording booth and did it a few times and waited as Filoni and a few others on the other side of the glass talked. Because Stanton was in the booth, he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

The session ended and, as Stanton was walking out, Filoni grabbed him.

“He said, ‘Look, we’ve got this idea, it’s kind of an experiment right now, we’re thinking of doing an episode where we wrap up this confrontation Kenobi has with Darth Maul,’” Stanton said. “But it’s very temporary, we might have you come in and do a temp track.”

Time passed and Stanton got a call from Filoni to come in and do some lines as Kenobi for what would become the “Twin Suns” episode. Soon after, Stanton got word that the episode was a go, and he went back and did a day’s work recording all of the Kenobi dialogue for the episode alongside Taylor Gray, who voices Ezra on the show, and Sam Witwer as Darth Maul. Stanton also went in three other times to record rewrites that were done — in one case only two words in a sentence of Kenobi’s dialogue was changed. But Stanton said that's how much attention went into bringing Kenobi back.

“They took a lot of care in the character and made sure they got exactly what they wanted,” Stanton said of how Lucasfilm worked.

And Stanton has his own meticulous process to pull off recreating the voices of legends — whether it be Guinness, Cushing, or the late film critic Roger Ebert, which he voiced in the 2014 documentary, “Life Itself.”

Stanton has compiled hours of audio and video reference files on people he voice matches. For Cushing, he even has a hard-to-find book-on-tape the actor did in the 1980s of his own autobiography. And to master Guinness, he likes to go back and watch the TV interviews he did to promote “A New Hope.”

This is partly to get the voice down, but Stanton uses the material to try to channel the person so he can understand how they might approach the scene he's voicing.

“I take it very seriously,” Stanton said. “You’re not only honoring the person, you’re honoring their performance, their creation. It’s fun, but it can be stressful at times. You’re really trying to understand how they built that character in the first place and hopefully you can do a good job bringing it to life.”

The biggest satisfaction for Stanton doing the “Twin Suns” episode was seeing the glowing reaction by the fans. Being a “Star Wars” fan himself, he didn’t want to let them down.

“When you’re doing an original character it’s always exciting, but when you're getting into those iconic characters where everybody already has an image in their mind, they have their own expectations about the character, you don't want to disappoint them,” Stanton said. “I’m glad the fans accepted it. When you get the call from Lucasfilm and they say people here are asking if we put in outtakes from the original film for the Kenobi dialogue, it puts you at ease.”

Watch the final battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul from the “Twin Suns” episode below:

The complete third season of “Star Wars Rebels” is available on Blu-ray/DVD August 29.

SEE ALSO: The 35 worst movies of all time, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: 6 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 6 of 'Game of Thrones'

People travel from far and wide to experience all that Napa Valley has to offer — namely, the award-winning wineries rooted in the area for decades. A lesser known indulgence is its English muffins.

Model Bakery, a longtime fixture of Napa's Main Street in St. Helena, went from small-town gem to international sensation last spring when Oprah Winfrey told People magazine that her biggest luxury is having their English muffins flown in.

"My greatest extravagance is flying in English muffins from Napa Valley," Oprah told People. "There's a specific English muffin made by these two women at this wonderful bakery in Napa Valley. I know it's not a good carbon footprint to fly in your English muffins but ..."

On a recent trip to Napa, I stopped by two locations of Model Bakery to try the English muffins. The first location in Yountville, California, had sold out before 11 a.m.

"Everyone asks if they can have the 'Oprah special,'" one employee told me.

When I finally got my hands on a muffin at the original location in St. Helena, it was love at first bite. I tried mine toasted, buttered, and topped with raspberry jam. It fell apart in my mouth and left sticky crumbs on my hands that I couldn't help but lick. 

Model Bakery is owned by mother-daughter duo Karen Mitchell and Sarah Mitchell Hansen. The pair specializes in artisan breads made with organic stone ground flours.

Oprah named the carb-filled treat to her Favorite Things list in 2016 — an honor that Model Bakery proudly displays on a chalkboard at its location in Yountville, California.

"I don't have to tell you all how much I love bread. These English muffins are my current carb of choice: crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and scrumptious all over," Winfrey wrote for the list in "O, The Oprah Magazine."

The muffins cost $40 for a dozen muffins and a jar of preserves. They're available on Amazon.

SEE ALSO: We tried the high-fat, buttered coffee drink that's taken Silicon Valley by storm — here's the verdict

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NOW WATCH: The best wines under $25 according to a top sommelier

This year's summer box office boasted a number of inventive, critically acclaimed films.

To find out which movies critics gravitated toward the most, we turned to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to compile this list of the best movies of summer 2017. 

From box office hits like "Dunkirk" and "Baby Driver," to the indie thriller "Good Time," these summer releases won over the majority of critics on their way to achieving varying levels of "freshness."

Here are the 24 best movies of the summer, according to critics:

Note: The list only includes films that were released in 600 or more theaters and/or had 80 or more critic reviews. It tracks from May 1 through the last week of August.

SEE ALSO: 34 movies you have to see this fall — including 'Justice League,' 'It,' and 'Blade Runner 2049'

24. "The Hero"

Critic score: 77%

Audience score: 67%

Summary: "An ailing movie star comes to terms with his past and mortality."

What critics said: "You will almost assuredly leave The Hero knowing that [Sam Elliott] is a bona fide national treasure." — Rolling Stone

23. "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power"

Critic score: 78%

Audience score: 48%

Summary: "A decade after 'An Inconvenient Truth' (2006) brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution."

What critics said: "In a summer movie landscape with Spider-Man, a simian army waging further battle for the planet and Charlize Theron as a sexy Cold War-era superspy, it says something that one of the most compelling characters is Al Gore." — The New York Times

22. "Brigsby Bear"

Critic score: 79%

Audience score: 91%

Summary: "Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children's TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James's life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself."

What critics said: "Scrappy and modest though [the] movie may be, it all coheres beautifully, and with a sweetness that never feels faked." — Los Angeles Times

I never thought I'd see a Goomba bidet in the moat outside of Princess Peach's castle, but here we are.

The insane-looking image above is pulled from the latest Mario game to grace Nintendo's Switch: "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle." The game is fantastic — check out our full review right here— but its standout characteristic is how absurd it is at every possible moment. 

Part of that is due to its ridiculous premise, which combines the anarchic world of Raving Rabbids with the already surreal and fantastical world of Super Mario. And another part is sheer will of the game's developer, French game company Ubisoft. Someone or, more likely, several someones spent a great deal of time crafting this shrine to a Rabbid using the bathroom.

I've spent over 20 hours with "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle," and I've seen some truly bizarre things. Allow me to share them with you.

REVIEW: "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle" for the Nintendo Switch

Up front, the very nature of this game is going to produce strange imagery. In the plot setup for the game, several Rabbids are turned into hybrids of themselves and Super Mario characters. They are literally called names like "Rabbid Mario" and "Rabbid Peach." They look ridiculous.

How did Rabbids get turned into hybrid Mario characters? By invading a Nintendo superfan's office/living room and dressing up as those characters, then...well, it's complicated.

The Rabbids use a time-traveling clothes washing machine to get around. Here they are arriving in the office/living room of the Nintendo superfan.