When Ryan Harwood left Goldman Sachs in 2009 to start a media business, he thought he was going to launch a men’s lifestyle site. But he quickly realized it wasn’t a good idea.

As he dug into the numbers, Harwood found that women were far-and-away a better target audience than men for lifestyle content, he tells Business Insider. Women dominated social media and commanded better ad budgets, he explains.

And during research, Harwood saw there was a demographic of late-20s to early-40s women who were bored of the deluge of digital content being pitched to them as “moms.” Mommy bloggers had exploded in popularity on the internet, but they couldn’t define an entire age range. Many of these women weren’t moms, and the ones who were didn’t like being put in that box all the time. 

This realization led Harwood to abandon the male reader in 2010 and launch PureWow, a women’s lifestyle digital outlet that has since built up a startlingly efficient revenue machine. This is all the more noteworthy in a media climate that has, recently, seen many venture-backed startups struggle to figure out how to turn on the money jets before they completely blow through their capital.

Just how efficient is PureWow at making money?

Hardwood says PureWow is closing in on 10 million monthly uniques. That's a respectable number, but a source familiar with the company’s finances says PureWow is on track to generate a much more impressive $20 million in revenue in 2016 off of those readers, up from about $10 million last year. Campaigns on PureWow, this person says, range from $100,000 up to $2 million depending on how much content PureWow is creating for the advertiser.

And that revenue estimate is based on current revenue, not on any presumed bump in traffic (which has grown 100% year-over-year, according to Harwood).

Let’s put those numbers into perspective.

Millennial women’s site Bustle, which has hit 45 million monthly uniques, generated $10 million in 2015 (and is said to be on track to generate $20 million on 2016). That means PureWow is generating as much revenue as a outlet with 4.5 times its reach, and Harwood says the company has been profitable for several years — with about 30% profit margins.

A controversial way to make money

How does PureWow do it?

The key, Harwood says, lies in premium native advertising, including branded video, which Harwood says accounts for 85% of PureWow’s revenue. It’s easy to see why native advertising has been such a runaway success for PureWow, and for its younger-audience competitor, Refinery29. PureWow’s main topics are fashion, beauty, food, how-tos, and so on — subject areas that are intimately intertwined with brands, and lend themselves to casual sponsorship.

Here is what a few of PureWow's native ads look like (the company counts Procter & Gamble, Cover Girl, Olay, Cartier, and Sephora as clients):

And here's an example of what one looks like when you click in:

When PureWow first started, native advertising wasn’t even on the map, Harwood says.

“Our editors actually came up with the idea [that we should try native advertising], about four years ago,” Harwood says. “‘Let’s write content in our own voice, integrate it.’ Native wasn't even a word yet.”

From the start, part of the success of PureWow’s native advertising was that it came from the same editorial team that writes normal articles, which now numbers 18 full-time employees. That's a bit controversial, since many newsrooms believe there should be separation of church and state between the business/advertising side of media, and editorial teams who create content. 

But “there is no [separate advertising] content studio” at PureWow, Harwood says. “[Our writers] know the voice.”

Harwood says PureWow's native advertising has the same entertainment value as its other content. His emphasis on “entertainment” is telling. When that is the metric you (and your audience) are judging your articles on, it can soften the credibility hit a sponsored post might take.

And indeed, Harwood says one of the reasons PureWow can charge so much for native ads is that they perform roughly in line with what normal articles do, on both pageviews and social shares. He does, however, admit that native ads often have have more resources behind them than the average post. “They look nice,” he finishes.

Harwood says one of the blessings of this native ad revenue stream is that PureWow hasn’t had to relentlessly chase scale. It also helped that PureWow hasn’t had a bunch of venture capitalist investors to please. The company has only raised $2.5 million in funding, and Harwood says his investors focused more on profit than scale. As did he.

“I come from Goldman [Sachs],” he explains. “I think, ‘What if the cash dried up?’” 

But PureWow's lack of scale could actually be hiding one potential pitfall: it's hard to scale native advertising. Native advertising powerhouse BuzzFeed (disputedly) missed its 2015 revenue projections by a hefty margin, according to the Financial Times. One theory is that BuzzFeed's content machine outgrew its native advertising stream, which relies on premium custom content. And much of the distributed content sites like BuzzFeed are producing for Facebook and other platforms isn't yet very monetizable.

Even if native advertising proves hard to scale, PureWow's comfortable profit margins still put it in a good position to weather a potential 2016 storm in digital media, which has been kicked off by layoffs at sites like Mashable, IB Times, and Salon.

SEE ALSO: Verizon just bought a big stake in a $650 million video company popular with teens

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NOW WATCH: How to see if someone is mooching off your Netflix account

Taylor Swift and her squad, as her group of friends is frequently called, are everywhere.

Swift's friends appear in Instagram photos with her and even join her onstage when she wins awards, but this group has been criticized for being exclusive, cliquey, and phony, which can be hurtful to Swift, the pop star told Vogue.

"I've had people say really hurtful things about me, and so I've kind of learned how to gauge it: 'This is, like, low-to-medium-level hurtful,'" she said.

In order to deal with the criticisms and rumors, it's best to just continue living life like normal, according to Swift.

"If they say you are pregnant, all you have to do is continue to not be pregnant and not have a baby," she explained. "If the rumor is that you have fake friendships, all you have to do is continue to be there for each other. And when we're all friends in fifteen years and raising our kids together, maybe somebody will look back and go, 'That was kind of ridiculous what we said about Taylor and her friends.'"

The same goes for handling the early obsession with her dating life, which she calls "my incredibly sexist Men-of-Taylor Swift slideshows," and the Kanye West saga.

The story that started seven years ago with West interrupting her MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech continued this year when West released his song "Famous," in which he takes credit for her career.

"I made that b---- famous," West raps, referring to Swift.

In February, Swift became the first woman to win the Grammy for album of the year twice and during her acceptance speech subtly responded to West's lyric.

"There will be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," she said, "but if you just focus on the work and you don't let those people sidetrack you, some day when you get where you're going, you'll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you that got you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."

She told Vogue, "I guess what I wanted to call attention to in my speech at the Grammys was how it's going to be difficult if you're a woman who wants to achieve something in her life — no matter what."

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift says this might be her next business venture after music

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NOW WATCH: MYTHBUSTERS’ ADAM SAVAGE: I have a direct connection to the ‘Star Wars' franchise

Dogs are usually reliable and friendly actors. However, sometimes filmmakers need them to act vicious.

This behind-the-scenes clip from "Look Who's Back," which is now streaming on Netflix, shows how visual effects teams often rely on "digital doubles" to make dogs more bite than bark. 

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by A.C. Fowler

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It looks like Amazon Studios is building a better relationship with theaters than Netflix is, and it could help distinguish its releases in a major way.

On Thursday at CinemaCon, the national theater-owners' convention, Amazon Studios' marketing and distribution chief, Bob Berney, presented the company's distribution strategy and made clear that the titles it acquires will have their own theatrical windows before streaming on Amazon.

"All films will be released theatrically, with an aggressive marketing campaign to bring audiences to your theaters," Berney said, according to The Wrap.

This is very different from the Netflix model. So far, it has released movies in theaters at the same time they go on the massive streaming service. Because of that, many of the large chains boycotted the runs of titles like "Beasts of No Nation" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny."

Amazon grabbed headlines earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival when it dished out huge amounts for multiple titles, such as the Casey Affleck-starring "Manchester by the Sea" ($10 million) and "Complete Unknown" ($2 million), starring Rachel Weisz and Michael Shannon.

In playing nice with theaters, Amazon can release these titles in a traditional manner that will not just build awards potential — as is the case for "Manchester by the Sea," which is already receiving Oscar buzz — but also increase the chances for more box-office return than Netflix's "Beasts" ($90,777 gross in theaters) and "Sword of Destiny" (released on only a handful of IMAX screens, it never reported its box-office take).

Using a more traditional model seemed to work for Amazon when it released Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq" in theaters over a month before putting it online last year. The film grossed over $2.6 million.

"Theatrical runs position a movie as a real movie in customers' eyes," Berney said at CinemaCon. "Our goals are aligned with exhibition."

SEE ALSO: The 12 most disappointing new TV shows of the year

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NOW WATCH: The trailer for the first 'Star Wars' spin-off movie 'Rogue One' is here

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Sling TV is testing a new skinny bundle that features Fox programming and allows users on the same account to stream on multiple devices, the Wall Street Journal reports.

This new package is separate from Sling TV's pre-existing packages and consists of predominantly Fox programming. It also excludes Disney content — the staple of its original Sling package. Instead, Disney's channels — including ESPN — will remain exclusively on Sling TV's standard single-stream package.

Dish could benefit from its new Sling TV offering in several ways. 

• It taps into new audiences. Dish's new multi-stream package addresses one problem associated with Sling, which is that users were constrained to streaming on just one device at a time. Now, Dish's multi-stream package enables users to watch up to three streams on three separate devices concurrently. In addition to appealing to families and larger households, the new service will allow Sling TV to compete with services like Netflix, the latter of which offers multiple stream options. The addition of Fox programming, which includes both the MLB and NFL, will also broaden the streaming platform's appeal to audiences. Sling TV counted 600,000 subscribers in February, according to The Wall Street Journal. 
• It diversifies Sling TV's product offerings. The release of Dish's new Sling TV package separates the company's products into two core offerings: one with Disney content and one with Fox content. If a customer wishes to have both, they will have to purchase two separate bundles. This will further enable Sling TV to expand its revenue base.

The exclusion of Disney programming from Sling TV's new product could also force Disney to reevaluate its digital strategy. Disney is heavily reliant on traditional TV for revenue and has been reluctant to broadcast content in a non-linear environment. 

In fact, the partnership between Disney and Dish in March 2014 was the first time that Disney agreed to license its content in an over-the-top environment. However, as part of the deal, Disney did not provide Dish with multi-stream rights. If Sling's non-Disney bundle is successful, Disney may lose bargaining power in future negotiations. 

Dish is trying a new approach in a world in which many are questioning the viability of pay-TV as a whole. The rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have caused more television watchers to cut the cord altogether, which has changed the landscape of traditional television.

Margaret Boland, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on subscription video on-demand services that examines how the growth of SVOD is coming at the expense of the pay-TV industry. The report analyzes the state of the pay-TV industry and maps out which demographics are more likely to stop buying traditional TV packages.

The report also discuss the user base, original content offerings, and subscription models of the major subscription streaming services available today, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. Finally, it looks at how traditional pay-TV companies and premium channels like HBO and Showtime are addressing the shift to digital viewing, as well as the implications of their response for advertisers.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Those abandoning pay-TV packages fall into three main groups: cord-nevers, cord-cutters, and cord-shavers. Whereas video streaming services have found favor with younger viewers in particular, an increasing portion of older subscribers also are leaving behind their pay-TV packages. Still, younger viewers watch four times as much video content online than older viewers.
• Netflix is the largest SVOD service and will continue to dominate the industry with an impressive original content lineup and aggressive expansion plans.
• Amazon is trying to compete with Netflix by investing significant resources in original content.
• Hulu is the third-largest SVOD service, but the only one to offer ad-supported membership tiers. Hulu has been the slowest to roll out original and exclusive content, but it has inked numerous deals in the past year to boost its content library.
• Pay-TV companies are responding to the rise of SVOD services by offering subscribers "skinny bundles" and their own streaming services.

In full, the report:

• Illustrates the fall of the traditional TV package and the rise of broadband only cable subscriptions.
• Lays out the different types of viewers that are leaving behind pay-TV: cord-cutters, cord-shavers, and cord-nevers.
• Examines the leading SVOD services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and premium channel offerings from HBO and Showtime.
• Explains the various ways that pay-TV companies are responding to the rise of SVOD services, notably skinny bundles and standalone streaming services.
• Considers what the migration to SVOD services means to marketers.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of subscription video on-demand services.

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Kendrick Lamar is facing a lawsuit for copyright infringement.

According to Reuters, the Grammy-winning rapper was sued Thursday for using a "direct and complete" copy of Bill Withers' 1975 song "Don't You Want to Stay" for his 2009 hit "I Do This."

Filed by Golden Withers Music and Musidex Music, who hold the copyright for Withers' song, the complaint said Lamar sampled the music "with a thumb to the nose, catch me if you can attitude."

They are seeking unspecified damages, and the suit was filed in the same court that awarded Marvin Gaye's family more than $7 million for the "Blurred Lines" trial in March 2015.

That same court will also decide if  Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" copied Spirit's "Taurus."  

SEE ALSO: The 10 most timeless '90s songs, according to Spotify data

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NOW WATCH: Here are Hollywood's biggest donors in the 2016 election and how much they're spending

For the first time, a DC Comic original movie will have an R rating.

“Batman: The Killing Joke,” which stars longtime voice of the animated version of the Dark Knight, Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill as the Joker (he too has done that voice in the past), is an adaptation of a 1988 comic in which the Clown Prince of Crime gets Batman’s attention by capturing and torturing Batgirl (voiced by Tara Strong), according to Entertainment Weekly.

The animated film will be available on Blu-ray and DVD later this year following its world premiere at Comic-Con this summer.

“From the start of production, we encouraged producer Bruce Timm and our team at Warner Bros. Animation to remain faithful to the original story — regardless of the eventual MPAA rating,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation & Warner Digital Series, in a statement. “‘The Killing Joke’ is revered by the fans, particularly for its blunt, often-shocking adult themes and situations. We felt it was our responsibility to present our core audience — the comics-loving community — with an animated film that authentically represented the tale they know all too well.”

According to the EW story, Warner Bros. has no plans of releasing a PG-13 version.

This continues the studio’s path of releasing more mature comic-book material to the superhero fan base.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was released last month in PG-13 form, but there will be an R-rated extended cut released on home video (and possibly a theatrical version of it, too, if you believe the rumors).

SEE ALSO: James Cameron just announced 4 more "Avatar" movies — here's when they're coming out

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NOW WATCH: This is the single worst part of 'Batman v Superman'

UPDATE: AMC has walked back quotes from its CEO. In a new statement, the company said, "NO TEXTING AT AMC. Won't happen. You spoke. We listened. Quickly, that idea has been sent to the cutting room floor."

It's one of the ironclad rules of going to the movie theater, but it's about to loosen up.

AMC Entertainment recently got a new CEO in Adam Aron, previously CEO and co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, among other things.

Aron has plans to shake up how the AMC theater chain, the largest in the country, does things, including becoming more millennial-friendly.

And to attract millennials, Aron wants to find a way to allow cellphone use during movies. He explained his reasoning in a new interview with Variety.

"When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow," he said. "You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s not how they live their life."

AMC's head hasn't just been thinking about this in the abstract. In fact, based on his quotes, it seems like he's been thinking through how to do it just right.

"We’re going to have to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t disturb today’s audiences," he said. "There’s a reason there are ads up there saying turn off your phone, because today’s moviegoer doesn’t want somebody sitting next to them texting or having their phone on."

When asked about a section for texting, like the old smoking sections of restaurants, he says it's a possibility, though "more likely is we take specific auditoriums and make them more texting friendly."

Either way, it's clear the largest movie-theater chain in the country will be actively courting millennials and the devices that they constantly have with them.

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Some of the top critics in the country have seen the summer’s most anticipated movie, “Captain America: Civil War,” and it sounds like we should be even more excited about seeing it than we already are.

It currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The third movie in Marvel’s Captain America franchise is its most intense. A rift within the Avengers causes the group to split into two groups: team Captain America (played by Chris Evans) and team Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).

“This is the best Marvel movie so far,” Uproxx claims. 

"The shaming of 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' will continue apace — or better still, be forgotten entirely — in the wake of 'Captain America: Civil War,'" Variety wrote. “A decisively superior hero-vs.-hero extravaganza that also ranks as the most mature and substantive picture to have yet emerged from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

“It would be a stretch to call this third Captain America film a drama, but far more than most comic-book films, this is a story of conflict between people, building on the history of Marvel's cinematic universe,” The Playlist said. “And the old affection between the two heroes amplifies their new enmity which only further draws the audience in.”

Along with what seems to be a very strong story, the introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and the new Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in the movie are added highlights.

You’ll get to experience the film yourselves when it opens on May 6.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 23 most awe-inspiring uses of CGI in movies

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One of the biggest head-scratchers from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has finally been solved.

Marvel has released the comic book “Star Wars: C-3PO Number 1” and inside we find out the origin of the droid’s striking red arm he was sporting in the movie.

If you plan to buy the comic and don't want to be spoiled, we suggest you stop reading now.

Okay, for the rest of you, this is how it happened.

In the comic, C-3PO is with other Resistance droids who have on their ship a captured First Order droid named Omri when they crash-land on a planet. 3PO and Omri end up being the only surviving droids, though 3PO has lost an arm in the crash. They talk about the role of droids in the galaxy, and 3PO tells Omri memories from events in the prequel films. Then Omri decides to sacrifice itself in order to save 3PO.

3PO takes Omri’s arm in tribute of the unselfish act of the First Order droid.

According to the comic’s website on Marvel, this is the only place where the red arm backstory will be explored, so don’t expect much about it in the movies.

SEE ALSO: The 23 most awe-inspiring uses of CGI in movies

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NOW WATCH: MYTHBUSTERS’ ADAM SAVAGE: I have a direct connection to the ‘Star Wars' franchise

Chris Hemsworth's vacation to the Himalayas turned into a near-death experience.

The actor, who is currently promoting "The Huntsman: Winter's War," stopped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and told the host about his bout of altitude sickness.

When climbing at such high altitudes, standard procedure dictates taking a break at certain heights to help bodies adjust to the low oxygen levels, but Hemsworth's body wasn't adjusting. 

"We went to 2,000 meters, then 3,000, and I honestly started to kind of lose my mind," Hemsworth said. "Just completely irrational, overly sensitive to the most trivial sort of silly things."

Hemsworth's wife, Elsa Pataky, began to notice that something was off, but Hemsworth said he kept denying it. 

After getting to 4,000 meters, Hemsworth was struggling.

"My breathing is getting worse, like Darth Vader meets Daffy Duck," Hemsworth said. "She eventually ignores me, runs and tells the guides. They come in, take one look at me and say 'get him off the mountain.'"

He was given an oxygen mask and was flown down the mountain via helicopter. While he's okay now, it was nearly a deadly experience for the actor. 

"Apparently the oxygen in my lungs, the next day would've been oxygen in my brain, and then goodnight," Hemsworth said. "We wouldn't be sitting here."

“Maybe it’s because you’re so handsome,” Kimmel joked. “You’re not meant to be up in the mountains away from others, you’re meant to be down amongst the people, bringing joy to their eyes.”

Watch the interview below:

SEE ALSO: Critics are already in love with 'Captain America: Civil War'

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NOW WATCH: MYTHBUSTERS’ ADAM SAVAGE: I have a direct connection to the ‘Star Wars' franchise

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones," as well as speculation regarding potential future events based on theories from the show and books.

"Game of Thrones" still manages to shock each season, leaving viewers unsure of what's to come.

Even readers of the book series can't answer some of the questions left from the last season.

The show returns April 24, and while some questions — Is Jon Snow alive? Will he be brought back from the dead? — will be answered sometime during the sixth season, others can't be answered until the end of the series and some might never be answered.

Here are 25 loose ends and general questions "Game of Thrones" has yet to answer:

SEE ALSO: A breakdown of everything in the new 'Game of Thrones' season 6 trailer

Who are Jon Snow's real parents?

Jon Snow is the bastard son of Eddard Stark, or at least that's how the story goes. One name thrown around as Snow's possible mother is Ashara Dayne, an early love interest for Eddard. But during a conversation with King Robert Baratheon about Snow's mom, Eddard mentions Wylla, who was a wet nurse to the Dayne family. But even with these names, an extremely popular fan theory says Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, Eddard's sister. It's an extensive theory that may be proven true (or false) this year.

Is Jon Snow alive/will he be brought back from the dead?

Both season five and book five left Snow's fate hanging in the balance after he was stabbed repeatedly by members of the Night's Watch. While absolutely everyone involved in "Game of Thrones" has said Snow is deader than dead, fans think that's not truly the case. He might be dead for now, but we've seen characters brought back from the dead before. All men must die, but we don't think Snow's time is up just yet.

What do the Dothraki intend on doing with Daenerys?

Daenerys was found by the Dothraki at the end of season five and season six will see her as a captive. After Khal Drogo died, she was supposed to join the other widowed khaleesis in Vaes Dothrak, the only Dothraki city, but instead left. Now that they have found her, will she be punished for leaving? Will she be forced to stay? Will Drogon come to her rescue? Will she escape on her own?

Rocker and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine — along with his wife, Victoria's Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo — have just listed their downtown Manhattan loft apartment for $5.5 million. 

The loft, which is in a prime SoHo spot just across the street from the Apple Store and above the upscale Stella McCartney boutique, is a whopping 2,800 square feet of light-filled, raw space, with 13-foot ceilings, original columns, and perfect-condition exposed brick. Prinsloo announced her pregnancy last month; the loft is a one-bedroom.

The famous couple bought the property in 2014 for $4.55 million. The six-story co-op is a historic building: in the 1970s, it was a haven for artists and makers, an artist-run gallery where the scene "bordered on lunacy, a place that defiantly refused to let itself be defined," according to the New York Times. The history is documented in a book compiled by big-time gallerist David Zwirner. 

Music is also part of its past: it was later the home of Greene Street Recording, where musicians like the Black Eyed Peas and Mos Def recorded albums.

It's listed with Adam Mahfouda and Jules Borbely of the Oxford Property Group.

SEE ALSO: You can now rent Eli Manning's swanky New Jersey condo for $18,000 a month

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The central part of the huge, open-plan loft is this 60-foot living room. It's decorated in a quirky, homey style.

Levine and Prinsloo have eclectic taste, as evidenced by this giant pool table which gets a central spot in the loft.

If inclined, potential buyers can take the furniture as well, according to the listing.

Netflix has by far the most loyal subscribers of its competitors, according to new research by Parks Associates.

Analysts found that Netflix subscribers were much less likely to cancel than those of Hulu or Amazon Prime Video. Netflix has now captured 52% of US broadband households, and in the last year, only 9% of its subscriber base has canceled, Parks Associates found.

Contrast this with Hulu (14% of US broadband households), which saw a full half of its current subscriber base cancel in the last year. That’s a lot of turnover for a service that is still growing.

Why does Hulu have such high churn?

One reason could be that people are loyal to content, Michael Callahan, who used to be in charge of customer service at Hulu, told Business Insider in December. Callahan says the surest way to keep viewers is to create blockbuster original shows — the kind they just can’t live without. This is one reason Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are all pouring money into originals.

Hulu recently released its marquee show “The Path,” which stars Aaron Paul in his first TV show since “Breaking Bad.” The critical reception has so far been positive, and the show has a 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lisa Holme, Hulu’s head of content acquisitions, told Business Insider that the company thinks of originals as “brand-defining” shows, whereas licensed shows are what keeps the subscribers entertained on a day-to-day basis. Both are critical to Hulu’s success, she said.

Aggressive spending

Netflix, for its part, has been spending aggressively on original content in 2016, and Netflix executives have characterized it as the best investment for the company moving forward. Netflix will release 600 hours of original content this year, including 31 original shows.

The other big service Parks Associates looked was Amazon Prime Video, which is bundled in with other services like free two-day shipping under the "Amazon Prime" umbrella. This makes it an imperfect comparison, but Prime Video has snagged 24% of households, with 19% of that base having canceled in the last year, according to Parks Associates.

Here is a chart of the data:

Netflix’s ability to retain subscribers in the US will be a key going forward, as many analysts have predicted further slowdown in subscriber growth in the US, at the market becomes saturated. Netflix missed Wall Street estimates for US subscriber growth last quarter, though it greatly exceeded estimates internationally.

One potential concern for Netflix's retention is a price hike that will begin in May. 17 million or more people will see their prices go up (by $2 or $1) over the coming months, according to estimates by UBS. And while many people claim they will cancel because of it (15% of those surveyed by JPMorgan), only 3%-4% actually will, according to UBS. 

Netflix reports its earnings on Monday, April 18.

SEE ALSO: How piracy actually helps Hulu make a lot of great decisions

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The trailer for actor Nate Parker's directorial debut "'," which won the Grand Jury and Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, has just gone online, and it's just as powerful as expected.

A project years in the making for Parker, it stars him as Nat Turner, who in 1831 led a movement to free slaves in Virginia. 

The trailer doesn't just show the tour-de-force performance by Parker, which is already getting Oscar buzz, but the film's beautiful photography, by veteran Elliot Davis, is in full glory.

Watch the trailer below. "The Birth of a Nation" opens October 7.

SEE ALSO: 25 pressing questions we still need answered on "Game of Thrones"

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On Friday, Disney releases its latest retelling of "The Jungle Book," which is still best known for its 1967 cartoon version that included memorable songs like "The Bare Necessities" and "I Want to Be Like You."

The tale follows the journey of "man-cub" Mowgli through the jungle. In this version, directed by Jon Favreau ("Iron Man," "Cowboys & Aliens"), what stands out are the incredible computer graphics used to bring the animals that Mowgli encounters to life.

With a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the announcement of a sequel already in the works, this one looks like a winner, whether you take your kid or not.

That's been confirmed with a healthy $4.2 million take in the Thursday preview screening, with projections of the film taking in $70 million this weekend.

Here we break down what critics really enjoyed about the movie.

SEE ALSO: Critics are already in love with "Captain America: Civil War"

The visuals are obviously the biggest draw.

The talking animals interacting with Mowgli (played by newcomer Neel Sethi) are flawless. 

"The beguilingly credible CGI rendering of real-life animals takes its biggest leap forward since 'Life of Pi,'" The Hollywood Reporter wrote.

"I don’t know where the fakery stops and the real animals, waterfalls, and veldts begin in this movie, and I don’t really want to," The Wrap said.

But there’s also a great story — not to mention those songs.

This certainly doesn't have the tame feel of the cartoon, "but in a wonderful tale in which a boy learns the importance of friendship and loyalty," as Us Weekly puts it, "perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for young cubs to earn their moviegoing stripes.

The placement of the songs that parents grew up on is also executed the right way.

"It’s not a musical and yet the deployment of two famous songs — 'The Bare Necessities' and 'I Wanna Be Like You' — feels easy and natural," The Guardian said.

And the celebrity voices of the animals give the movie an added kick.

Part of the fun watching "The Jungle Book" is trying to figure out who is voicing the animals. Some will be hard to identify, like Garry Shandling (in his final role before his death last month). But then there are some obvious ones.

Like Bill Murray as Baloo. "Murray makes 'The Bear Necessities' fit into his laid-back existence as he hums and sings the song with Mowgli as they float down a serene river," the Associated Press wrote.

Christopher Walken as King Louie, according to The Washington Post, "seems to channel both Marlon Brando and Louis Prima."

Scarlett Johansson, as the large snake Kaa, "reinforces the notion, begun with Spike Jonze's 'Her,' that she can totally transfix audiences with her voice alone," the LA Times wrote.

And then there's Idris Elba, who plays the villain, Shere Khan, and will definitely frighten some of the younger audience members.

"Idris Elba’s Shere Khan is the best villain of the year so far," Uproxx said.

Former contenders of NBC's "The Apprentice" held a press conference in New York on Friday to denounce Donald Trump and his presidential run.

"[Donald Trump] is unqualified to be president of the United States," season four "Apprentice" winner Randall Pinkett said. "He's dangerous to the country and the world."

Pinkett was joined by five other former contenders of the reality show: season-one runner-up Kwame Jackson and season-three contender Tara Dowdell in New York, with season-four contender Marshawn Evans and season-six runner-up James Sun via Skype.

The conference leaned heavily on the group's belief that Trump's statements while campaigning have contained racist and xenophobic overtones.

"We need a candidate who already sees great in America and wants to make it greater," Pinkett said, playing off Trump's own campaign slogan, "someone who sees our diversity as an asset and not a liability."

While all the participants said they have spoken out against Trump individually, they were compelled to come together because of the importance of New York's upcoming primary and the fact that they shot "Apprentice" in the city. They also wanted to combat other "Apprentice" colleagues, such as Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, who have supported Trump publicly.

"We’ve had a lens into the man besides what you see on the cameras," Pinkett said of what makes them qualified to speak on Trump.

Jackson said that he first became turned off by Trump after the real-estate mogul fueled the birther campaign against Barack Obama. He says that his recent statements, such as those surrounding immigrants and Muslim groups, show that there are "very nuanced forms of being a racist in 2016."

He admitted to not taking Trump's presidential run seriously. "I didn’t expect Donald to make it this far," he said. "I wrote him off last year. Obviously, I was proven wrong."

When asked what they thought about Trump's business success, Pinkett answered, "I was impressed with his business acumen, his abilities in real estate." But he said that when he worked with various Trump companies, including entertainment and resorts, he saw "no minority representation in executive positions. That to me is bad business."

Jackson added, "Being rich doesn’t make you right. America is often beguiled by a rich person."

Dowdell credited Trump's marketing prowess for the success of his campaign.

"He saw an anger in this country that was specifically related to the demographics of this country and he’s capitalizing on it," she said.

When asked why there were no white former "Apprentice" contenders present at the press conference, Pinkett attributed it to scheduling issues, but felt it was fair to say that "most" of the white people he contacted feared that coming out publicly against Trump would negatively impact their careers or personal lives.

Earlier this week, after the press conference was announced, Trump released the following statement:

"How quickly they forget. Nobody would know who they are if it weren't for me. They just want to get back into the limelight like they had when they were with Trump. Total dishonesty and disloyalty. They should be careful or I'll play hours of footage of them individually praising me. Ask how successful they've been since they left. Six failing wannabes out of hundreds of contestants — so sad! I gave Randall Pinkett the opportunity of a lifetime by selecting him as the apprentice. He worked for me and did a terrible job."

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Fans still have a little over a week before the third season of HBO's "Silicon Valley" premieres, but Business Insider has a fun look back at season two.

In a newly unearthed deleted scene from the "Silicon Valley: The Complete Second Season" DVD, available on April 19, Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) and Erlich Bachman (T.J. Miller) are preparing for the fight of their life against tech millionaire Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) for the future of their startup, Pied Piper — a David-vs.-Goliath situation.

Just ahead of the meeting, Pied Piper's attorney tells the guys that they need to project confidence. But Richard's version of confidence isn't exactly what Bachman had in mind.

"You look like you s--- your pants a little and you're trying to hold the rest in," Bachman tells Richard after seeing his attempt as showing self-assurance.

After Richard asks if he has any other helpful observations, Bachman unleashes, "Yeah, you look like a ventriloquist's dummy in that suit."

Ouch.

Find out what happens next in BI's exclusive first look at the deleted scene below:

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Warning: spoilers for "Mr. Robot" season one below.

USA Network released a new trailer for the upcoming second season of "Mr. Robot."

Sounding incredibly Anonymous-like, Elliot (Rami Malek) speaks in voiceover as images of a world that's spinning out of control appear on the screen. 

Elliot is remarkably optimistic despite the outlook of things. In one scene, he raises his arms victoriously as his message of the empowerment of the common man plays.

"The truth is we have more power than they think," he says. "The power to take action, to choice to do something. Together, we can change the world, change our future, and there's nothing they can do to stop us."

At the end of season one, F Society had succeeded in throwing the world into chaos and then disappearing. E Corp is at the center of the mayhem and its technology executive saw no way out and killed himself while appearing on TV. But shady characters still lurk around Elliot (or inside his head), so he should probably enjoy the success he's feeling right now.

USA has yet to announce a return date, so watch the "Mr. Robot" trailer below for now:

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SEE ALSO: 7 things we know will happen in 'Mr. Robot' next season — including a time-jumping opening

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One of the biggest questions left unanswered at the end of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was the question of Rey's parentage.

The three main theories are that she is either the daughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, or Obi-Wan Kenobi. Abrams just shot down two of those theories.

During a conversation at the Tribeca Film Festival Friday evening with Chris Rock, a fan asked Abrams who Rey's parents are in the "Star Wars" universe.

At first, Abrams jokingly told the fan to "Get out!" Twice.

While Abrams could have stopped there and moved on to another question from the audience, he surprisingly decided to answer the fan — somewhat.

"Rey's parents are not in 'Episode VII,' so I can't possibly in this moment tell you who they are," said Abrams. "But I will say ... this is all I will say ... It is something that Rey thinks about, too."

We're sure it is Abrams. We're sure it is.

Now, that may not be much to go off of, but, if Abrams is telling the truth, that means Rey's parents could not be Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, or Han Solo, all character who appeared in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Is Obi-Wan Kenobi still in contention? Ewan McGregor, who played the character in the prequel trilogy, lent his voice for a cameo in the film. Still, he wasn't physically present in the film.

Following the talk, Entertainment Weekly caught up with Abrams who clarified his comment during the panel in which he backtracked a bit.

The director says he was only trying to point out that The Force Awakens builds up the mystery of Rey’s parents without resolving it. “What I meant was that she doesn’t discover them in Episode VII. Not that they may not already be in her world,” Abrams said.

So, are they in "The Force Awakens" or aren't they? Does that mean Luke and Leia are still in contention as Rey's parents or are they characters we haven't even been introduced to, yet?

Abrams could have just been messing with us, too. In the past, he famously swore to fans for months that Benedict Cumberbatch was not cast as the iconic "Star Trek" villain Khan in 2013's sequel "Into Darkness." Of course, when the movie debuted and fans indeed found out Cumberbatch was indeed playing Khan, it left many fans upset. It's something Abrams has admitted he regrets doing.

So maybe Rey's parents truly aren't in "Episode VII." Then again Abrams may not know too much. He's not directing Episode VIII. That job belongs to Rian Johnson.

Either way, we'll probably have to wait until "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is released in theaters December 2017 to learn more about the character's mysterious past.

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